Feb. 2, 2018

February 2, 2018

catholicnewsherald.com charlottediocese.org S E RV I N G C H R I ST A N D C O N N EC T I N G C AT H O L I C S I N W E ST E R N N O R T H C A R O L I N A

St. Thérèse Parish marks 30 years in current location

2018 Diocesan Support Appeal kicks off

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Hendersonville parishioner leaves estate gift to diocesan offices 6

INDEX

Contact us.......................... 4 Español............................ 10-11 Events calendar................. 4 Our Faith............................. 2 Our Parishes.................. 3-9 Schools......................... 14-15 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies.......................16 U.S. news...................... 18-19 Viewpoints.................. 22-23 World news.................. 20-21

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This Lent, CRS Rice Bowl asks you to ‘share the journey’ 5

Descubra el sabor de la Iglesia Vietnamita San José

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‘We march because the love of Christ impels us’ 3

Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | February 2, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

St. Paul Miki and the 26 Martyrs of Japan Feast day: Feb. 6

Pope Francis

Readings at Mass offer God’s ‘real-time’ help

L

istening to the Scripture readings at Mass is hearing God speak directly to His people, offering spiritual sustenance and needed guidance for life’s difficult journey, Pope Francis said. For that reason, the prescribed texts should never be skipped or substituted during the Mass, lectors should read clearly and people should always listen with an open heart so that the words may eventually bear fruit in good deeds, the pope said at his weekly general audience Jan. 31.

Continuing his series of audience talks on the Mass, Pope Francis spoke about the Liturgy of the Word and the importance of listening to the Bible readings at Mass.

“In the Liturgy of the Word, in fact, the pages of the Bible stop being something written and become the living word, delivered by God Himself,” he said.

As the readings are proclaimed, people in the pews should be silent and receptive, opening their hearts and minds to what is being said, not looking around or making small talk and criticizing what other people are wearing, he said.

“We have to listen, open our hearts, because it is God Himself who is speaking to us. So don’t think about other things or talk about something else.

Understood?” he asked the thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“We need to listen! It is a question of life,” he said, because as Jesus told the devil in the desert, “one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” People can receive spiritual nourishment from the “table” of God’s word, which is abundant and “rich” in so many biblical offerings, he said.

It is obvious then why “some subjective choices” are forbidden – such as omitting the prescribed readings or substituting them with nonbiblical texts, for example, like the newspaper for bringing up a current event, he said.

Substituting God’s word with something else “impoverishes and compromises the dialogue between God and His people in prayer,” the pope said, while sticking with the prescribed readings expresses and fosters ecclesial communion, helping everyone on their journey together.

The pope also insisted on choosing lectors who are well-prepared and speak clearly, not people who garble their words “and no one can understand a thing.”

“The Lord’s word is an indispensable aid for not getting lost,” he said. It is, as the psalmist says, “a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.”

Also, he said, listening to God’s word requires much more than one’s ears.

It must go from the ears, to the heart and then to the hands, resulting in good works in the world, he said.

Born to a wealthy military leader in 1562 at Tounucumada, Japan, Paul Miki felt called to religious life at a young age. He became a Jesuit in 1580 and was soon widely known as a successful evangelist. In 1587, the political climate became hostile to Christianity, when the Japanese emperor became suspicious of the Catholic missionaries that had followed in St. Francis Xavier’s footsteps a few decades earlier and were converting large numbers of Japanese. He accused the missionaries of “corrupting and stirring up the lower classes” and ordered them all out of the country. Miki and 25 other missionaries and laypeople, including three teenaged boys, were arrested in 1597 for disobeying his edict.

Over the next 30 days, they were forcibly marched 600 miles through the snow from Kyoto to Nagasaki so that they could be a warning to other Japanese Christians. On Feb. 5, 1597, as the group approached the hill in Nagasaki where they were to be tied to crucifixes measured especially for each of them, they all sang the Te Deum. More than 4,000 residents of Nagasaki – many of them Catholics who were crying and praying – witnessed the executions.

Miki’s last sermon was delivered from the cross: “All of you who are here, please, listen to me... I have committed no crime, and the only reason why I am put to death is that I have been teaching the doctrine “Christian Martyrs Of Nagasaki,” by an unknown Japanese artist, circa 16th-17th century of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I am very happy to die for such a cause, and see parents were at the foot of his cross to witness their son’s bloody my death as a great blessing from the Lord. At this critical time when, you can rest assured that I will not try to deceive you, I want killing.

Persecution of Christians continued for another 300 years. to stress and make it unmistakably clear that man can find no way Thousands of Catholic missionaries and the faithful – including to salvation other than the Christian way. The Christian religion their spouses and children – were imprisoned, tortured, burned tells us to forgive our enemies and those who do harm us, and so I alive, drowned, buried alive, hung or beheaded for the faith. say that I forgive the emperor and those responsible for my death.

More than 650 martyrs were killed on Martyrs Hill in Nagasaki I have no hatred for the emperor; indeed, I wish that he and all the alone. Japanese Christianity was driven underground until the Japanese would become Christians.”

1860s, when European missionaries returned and found the faith In another account of his final preaching, he was recorded as still alive. In 1889, Japan constitutionally recognized freedom of also saying, “The only reason for my being killed is that I have religion, and in 1919 the country established diplomatic relations taught the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason that with the Vatican.

I die. I believe that I am telling the truth before I die. I know you Miki and his 25 companions, called “The 26 Martyrs of Japan,” believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to were canonized in 1862 by Pope Pius IX, and a shrine was built on help you become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s example, I the hill in 1962. forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity — Sources: Catholic News Agency, Catholic Online, 26 Martyrs Museum on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.”

Like his 25 companions, Miki died on the cross after being More online stabbed through the chest with a lance. He was just 30 years old, but he was not the youngest in the group: St. Louis Ibaraki was 12, At www.26martyrs.com: Learn more about the day in 1597 when the 26 St. Anthony was 13, and St. Thomas Kozaki was 14. St. Anthony’s Martyrs were crucified and the memorial that now stands in Nagasaki

Your daily Scripture readings FEB. 4-10

Sunday: Job 7:1-4, 6-7, 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23, Mark 1:29-39; Monday (St. Agatha): 1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13, Mark 6:53-56; Tuesday (St. Paul Miki and Companions): 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30, Mark 7:1-13; Wednesday: 1 Kings 10:1-10, Mark 7:14-23; Thursday (St. Jerome Emiliani, St. Josephine Bakhita): 1 Kings 11:4-13, Mark 7:24-30; Friday: 1 Kings 11:29-32, 12:19, Mark 7:31-37; Saturday (St. Scholastica): 1 Kings 12:26-32, 13:33-34, Mark 8:1-10

FEB 11-17

Sunday: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46, 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1, Mark 1:40-45; Monday: James 1:1-11, Mark 8:11-13; Tuesday: James 1:12-18, Mark 8:14-21; Wednesday (Ash Wednesday): Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, Matthew 6:1-16, 16-18; Thursday: Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Luke 9:22-25; Friday: Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 9:1415; Saturday (Seven Holy Founders of the Service Order): Isaiah 58:9-14, Luke 5:27-32

FEB 18-24

Sunday: Genesis 9:8-15, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:12-15; Monday: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18, Matthew 25:31-46; Tuesday: Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 6:715; Wednesday (St. Peter Damian): Jonah 3:110, Luke 11:29-32; Thursday (The Chair of St. Peter): 1 Peter 5:1-4, Matthew 16:13-19; Friday (St. Polycarp): Ezekiel 18:21-28, Matthew 5:2026; Saturday: Deuteronomy 26:16-19, Matthew 5:43-48

Our parishes

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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MARCHING FOR LIFE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Youth a driving force of March for Life SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Youth from St. Mark Church in Huntersville and around the Diocese of Charlotte march up Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., Jan. 19 during the 45th Annual March for Life.

‘We march because the love of Christ impels us to do so’ N.C. Mass for Life offered prior to March for Life in D.C. SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The brutal reality of 60 million lives lost to abortion since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion gave way to hope in the nation’s capital as hundreds of thousands of marchers took to the streets Jan. 19 to spread the message that “Love Saves Lives” in the 45th annual March for Life.

People of the Diocese of Charlotte and the Diocese of Raleigh gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the annual North Carolina Mass Room at the Inn representatives pause for a photo on their way to Capitol Hill: (back row) Marianne Donadio, Jennifer Safriet, Tony Belline and Brenda Belline; (front row) Shane Dawkins, Maria Donadio, Benedict Donadio and Lynne McGrath.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANNIE FERGUSON

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more coverage from the March for Life in Washington, D.C., including a story about St. Mary, Mother of God parishioners who went to the national march for the first time

More inside Page 18: “‘Every child ‘precious gift from God,’ Trump tells pro-life rally” for Life before boarding buses to join the national March for Life on the Mall.

Father John Putnam, pastor of St. Mark Church in Huntersville and judicial vicar for the Charlotte diocese, served as principal celebrant and homilist. He was assisted by MARCH, SEE PAGE 17

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tens of thousands of youth and young adults traveled hundreds – some even thousands – of miles to raise their voices in support of the sanctity of all human life for the national March for Life Jan. 19.

This year’s theme, “Love Saves Lives,” encouraged people to look at what love can do by saying “yes” to life, saving the life of an innocent human being.

Youth and young adults from around the Diocese of Charlotte traveled to this year’s March for Life and some shared their reasons for making the journey.

“This year was my first March for Life experience and I loved it!” said Margaret Dechant, a young adult who helped lead a group from St. Patrick PHOTO PROVIDED BY FATHER RICHARD SUTTER Cathedral in Young adults from St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. “It Charlotte attend the 45th Annual March was incredibly for Life on Jan. 19 in Washington, D.C. encouraging to be surrounded by others also passionate about protecting life.”

Dechant said it was important for her to lead a group of young adults to the march because “it gave us an opportunity to be witnesses to our beliefs and grow in our faith and community with each other. It was a time for us to give a voice to the voiceless and support pro-life legislation.”

“I hope those who participated in the March for Life were inspired and uplifted by the joy of living the Gospel and proclaiming the message #lovesaveslives (this year’s March for Life theme) together,” she said.

Peter Dodge, 18, of St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Sylva, came with a group of 41 people from his parish.

“Abortion is wrong. You should never kill anyone, especially the unborn and those who cannot fight for themselves,” he said. “I am here mainly for that, to show there is something else you can do, other than abortion.”

His sister Mary, 17, agreed. “We wanted to come to share what we believe. It’s good to save lives. It is YOUTH, SEE PAGE 17

President honors Greensboro Catholic charity ANNIE FERGUSON CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A week earlier, Marianne Donadio had no idea she’d be visiting the White House Rose Garden during the 45th Annual March for Life, much less be honored on national TV by the president himself.

“It’s something you don’t even dream about, getting publicity like that,” said Donadio, vice president of marketing and development of Room at the Inn, a homeless shelter for pregnant women in Greensboro.

She first learned of possible media attention the Sunday before the march. Donadio listened to a rather cryptic voice message from Jeanne Mancini, president of the National March for Life.

Mancini was well acquainted with Room at the Inn after speaking at its annual banquet fundraiser in October. When Donadio called Mancini back, she asked Donadio if she’d be willing to share her story. Donadio agreed, then went to Mass at her church, St. Leo the Great in Winston-Salem, and returned home to a voice message from the RATI, SEE PAGE 17

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | February 2, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: FEB. 3 – 11 A.M. Holy Mass for World Day of Consecrated Life St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

Diocesan calendar of events February 2, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

Volume 27 • NUMBER 9

THE 22ND ANNUAL CHARLOTTE ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE: Saturday, March 17, in uptown Charlotte. Now accepting applications, the deadline to apply is March 1.

To register for the parade go to www.charlottestpatsday. com and click “application.” For details, contact 803-8021678 or dyerhart@hotmail.com.

1123 S. CHURCH ST. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

704-370-3333 PUBLISHER: The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte

STAFF EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org SENIOR REPORTER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org ONLINE REPORTER: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS REPORTER: Cesar Hurtado, 704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Erika Robinson, 704-370-3333, catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org

THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 26 times a year.

NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photos. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. All submitted items become the property of the Catholic News Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

ADVERTISING: Reach 165,000 Catholics across western North Carolina! For advertising rates and information, contact Advertising Manager Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332 or keeagan@charlottediocese.org. The Catholic News Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for all registered parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others.

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ESPAÑOL MINISTERIO DE PADRES Y MADRES ORANTES: 7 p.m. el tercer viernes de cada mes, en la Iglesia St. Thomas Aquinas, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. Todos los padres de familia están invitados a tener un re-encuentro con Jesús Sacramentado, en una Hora Santa. Todos unidos orarán por los hijos del mundo entero. En este Ministerio, el Rosario es nuestra arma y la Eucaristía es nuestra savia. Para más detalles, llamar a Gloria 704-807-5237.

CLASES DE INGLÉS: 6-9 p.m. todos los martes y jueves en el Community Life Center, en la Iglesia St. Mary, 205 W. Farris Ave., High Point. Para más información y registrarse, llamar al 336-848-6970.

LECTURES & WORKSHOPS ‘STORIES OF THE AMERICAN SAINTS’: 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 7, and 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in the Ministry Center at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. Alice Camille and Paul Boudreau, authors of “Fearless,” will explore the lives of a dozen brave men and women who lived heroically in circumstances much like ours. Their stories will help us consider what it means to be a Catholic American and an American Catholic. No RSVP needed. For details, call the parish at 704-362-5047.

‘LISTENING AS AN ACT OF JUSTICE’: 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17, Curtin Hall in the Mercy Administration Center, 101 Mercy Dr., Belmont. The Sisters of Mercy are offering this workshop because of their commitment to non-violence. It will be presented by Sharon Browning, a trained mediator and attorney. As Pope Francis said in his New Years’ talk on non-violence: “An ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence between individuals and among peoples cannot be based on the logic of fear, violence and closed-mindedness, but on responsibility, respect and sincere dialogue.” For details, call 704-8295260 or go to https://fs18.formsite.com/rtresp/form31/ index.html.

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING NFP INTRODUCTION AND FULL COURSE: 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. Topics include: effectiveness of modern NFP, health risks of popular contraceptives and what the Church teaches about responsible parenting.

Sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at 704-370-3230.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS VIGIL OF THE TWO HEARTS: Friday Mass, Feb. 2, offered

by Father Christopher Bond, followed by nocturnal

Adoration and concluding with 8 a.m. First Saturday Mass on Feb. 3, at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Join Catholics across Charlotte for Mass and overnight Eucharistic Adoration every first Friday-Saturday at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte to pray for the strengthening and healing of marriages and families, the conversion of our nation, and to offer reparation for the sins of mankind through prayer and penance. The vigil will begin with Mass at 8 p.m. each first Friday, followed by Adoration and scheduled prayer, and conclude with 8 a.m. Mass each first Saturday. For details and to sign up for Adoration times, go to www. prolifecharlotte.org.

FIRST ANOINTING OF THE SICK: 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, St. Luke Church, 13700 Lawyers Road, Mint Hill.

Anointing is typically presented to those who need healing from physical or mental illness or someone who will be undergoing surgery. For details, call Mary Adams at 704-545-1224.

PRO-LIFE ROSARY: 11 a.m. Saturday, March. 3, at 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive, High Point. Come pray for the end of abortion, and invite anyone else who would support this important cause. Anyone with difficulty standing for 15-20 minutes is welcome to bring a folding chair. Outdoors, rain or shine. For details, call Jim Hoyng at 336-882-9593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-848-6835.

A DIVINE MERCY HOLY HOUR: 7 pm. every first Friday at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte.

The Holy Hour consists of readings from the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, the sung Chaplet of Divine Mercy, benediction and veneration of the Divine Mercy Image.

(Note: There will not be a Holy Hour during Lent.) For details, call Paul Deer at 704-577-3496.

ST. STEPHEN MARONITE CHURCH: Masses are offered every Sunday at 12:30 p.m., at St. Matthew Church’s Waxhaw location, 4116 Waxhaw-Marvin Road, Waxhaw. St. Stephen Maronite Church of Charlotte is an Eastern-rite Catholic Church in full communion with the pope.

HEALING MASS AND ANOINTING OF THE SICK: 2 p.m. every third Sunday of the month, St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 37 Murphy Dr., Maggie Valley. Individual prayers over people after Mass by Charismatic Prayer Group members. For details, call the church office at 828-926-0106.

EVENING NOVENAS: Every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Christ the King Church, 1505 East Kivett Dr., High Point. All are invited to pray the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Join them in praying for the needs of your families and for our hurting world. For details, call the church office at 336-883-0244.

SUPPORT GROUPS & RETREATS CHRONIC PAIN SUPPORT GROUP: 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the Parish Center at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. For more information call Jennifer Watson, M.P.T. Arthritis Services, at 704-348-2723 or Sandra Breakfield, Catholic Charities’ Elder Ministry Director, at 704-370-3220.

Sponsored by Arthritis Services in conjunction with Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.

RETROUVAILLE: A program for married couples that feel bored, disillusioned, frustrated or angry in their marriage. Most don’t know how to change the situation or even talk with their spouse. This program has helped thousands of couples experiencing difficulties in their marriage. For confidential information or to apply for the next program beginning with a weekend Feb. 2, call 800-470-2230 or 434-793-0242, e-mail retrouvaillenc@ msn.com, or go to www.retrouvaille.org.

RACHEL’S VINEYARD RETREATS: Rachel’s Vineyard can help men and women who have experienced abortion begin their healing journey. It creates a healing environment of prayer and forgiveness. The retreat works to reconnect people to themselves, their friends and family after having an abortion.

For details, email Jackie Childers at jackie.childers1@gmail.com.

ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVER AND FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP: Meets the first Monday of the month, 6:30-8 p.m., in Family Center Room 203 at St. Mark Church, Huntersville. Organized with the Alzheimer’s Association, the monthly meetings are for the caregivers and family members of people with Alzheimer’s. For details, email Janet Urban at jgraceart@yahoo.com.

SHINING STARS ADULT DAY RESPITE: Meets on Mondays and Wednesdays at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. Shining Stars is a nonprofit adult day respite program for members of the community with early to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

For details, call Suzanne Bach at 704-335-0253.

CATHOLIC CANCER SUPPORT MINISTRY: 7 p.m. Second and fourth Thursday of each month, at St. Leo the Great Church, in the Bishop Begley Parish Center, 335 Springdale Ave., Winston-Salem. If you or your loved one is living with a cancer diagnosis, hearing from others who’ve been through one already can be a great source of comfort and support. Find inspiration and hope in the wisdom of those living with cancer, cancer survivors, caregivers and a variety of speakers. For details, contact Mary Beth Young @ mbyoung@stleocatholic.org.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING “Protecting God’s Children” workshops are intended to educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent sexual abuse. For details, contact your parish office. To register and confirm workshop times, go to www.virtus. org. Upcoming workshops are:

ASHEVILLE: 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, St. Lawrence Basilica, 97 Haywood St.

HENDERSONVILLE: 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, Immaculate Conception Church, 208 Seventh Ave. West MOORESVILLE: 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, St. Therese Church, 217 Brawley School Road

IS YOUR PARISH OR SCHOOL hosting a free event open to the public? Deadline for all submissions is 10 days prior to desired publication date. Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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This Lent, CRS Rice Bowl asks you to ‘share the journey’ BALTIMORE — As Pope Francis asks us to “Share the Journey” with migrants and refugees aground the world, Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl offers Catholics in the United States a way to encounter Lent, to encounter the causes of migration and displacement, and to learn about the challenges faced by families around the world in their dioceses, parishes and homes.

CRS Rice Bowl, the agency’s flagship Lenten program now in its fifth decade, will begin once again on Ash Wednesday – Feb. 14 – giving Catholics throughout the country an opportunity to encounter the stories of people in need around the world.

“From CRS’ work in more than 100 countries, we know that people do not want to leave their homes, that they do so because they feel they have no other choice,” said Joan Rosenhauer, executive vice president of Church Engagement. “Lenten sacrifices contributed through CRS Rice Bowl help give them that choice by providing sustenance and livelihoods in communities around the world.”

Started as an ecumenical effort in the Diocese of Allentown, Pa., in 1975, CRS Rice Bowl soon spread across the country as it called on Catholics to perform a simple act of Lenten sacrifice: substitute a low-cost meatless meal for more expensive dining once a week during Lent and

put the money saved in a cardboard rice bowl.

That concept remains at the heart of the program even as it has expanded to include broader Lenten faith enrichment through a wide variety of resources available for the millions of Catholics who participate. These include prayer resources, a daily Lenten calendar, weekly stories of hope that introduce families from around the world and recipes from various countries for meatless meals that can be enjoyed on Fridays during Lent.

Funds collected in the rice bowls, which are turned in at the end of Lent, are distributed both around the world and in local communities to combat hunger – 75 percent of every donation goes to CRS programming in targeted countries worldwide while 25 percent remains in the local diocese from which the donation came, supporting initiatives that help alleviate poverty.

But the goal is to go beyond collecting money and spur discussions – both in churches and around family dinner tables – about the meaning of Lent and the daily reality that people living in poverty face.

“We see CRS Rice Bowl as much more than a fundraising opportunity,” said Rosenhauer. “It is an opportunity for Catholics in America to encounter what Lent means, what poverty means, what resilience means, what hope means.

“We want families to participate together so they can experience the joyous feeling of solidarity that comes from generosity and sacrifice. We know from years of experience that CRS Rice Bowl can be life-changing.”

As part of CRS Rice Bowl, speakers from around the world will travel throughout the United States telling their stories of how CRS Rice Bowl-supported programs are changing lives. For Thomas Awiapo, a feeding program in his village in Ghana funded by CRS Rice Bowl brought him as a hungry young orphan to school for food. He stayed for an education, eventually a master’s degree in the United States, returning to Ghana for a career with CRS there.

Cassandra Bassainthe, who left Haiti as a young child, will talk about why she returned to her home country to help the poor and vulnerable. Micter Chaola of Malawi and Jacques Kabore of Burkina Faso will share their experiences working in agriculture in their respective countries.

“CRS Rice Bowl does far more than feed people,” said Rosenhauer. “It also helps develop agriculture so that families and communities can support themselves. As we heed the request of Pope Francis and ‘Share the Journey,’ we know that the best way you can help a migrant is to make sure that she doesn’t have to leave home in the first place. That’s what CRS Rice Bowl can help accomplish.”

Haitian Vegetable Stew Seasoning: 4 scallions, chopped 6 sprigs parsley 4 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped 1 tsp. salt Vegetable Stew: 1 tbsp. fair trade olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 carrots, sliced 1 chayote squash, peeled and chopped (If you can’t find chayote squash, replace with equal amounts of any summer squash, such as zucchini.)

1 small eggplant, peeled and chopped 3 cups cabbage, chopped 1 15-oz. can of coconut milk 4 cups water or vegetable broth (or more, as needed) 1 large tomato, chopped Salt to taste

For the seasoning, mix first 6 ingredients in a food processor and set aside. Sauté onions, carrots, squash, eggplant and cabbage in oil in large pan for 3 to 4 minutes. Add coconut milk and 3 cups broth.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until soft. Add tomatoes and continue to simmer. Add more broth if the mixture appears too dry. Add seasoning to simmering vegetables and cook one minute. Mash vegetables with a large fork. Season with salt, to taste. Makes 6 servings.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Find more meatless recipes and the stories behind their cultures online at www.crsricebowl.org.

PRAY

FAST

GIVE

LEARN

Resources available online Catholic Relief Services has a lot of resources for you and your family this Lenten season. Besides the traditional CRS Rice Bowl kit that you can download online, there is a free mobile app, daily Lenten reflections, “Stories of Hope” from people who have been aided by CRS, a video series exploring the meaning of Lent, and meatless recipes from the countries featured each Lent. All materials are available in English and Spanish.

How to give If your parish or school participates in the CRS Rice Bowl campaign, giving guidelines are provided. You can also give directly to CRS Rice Bowl securely online at www.crsricebowl. org; by phone at 1-877-435-7277; or mail to CRS Rice Bowl, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21297-0303.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 2, 2018 OUR PARISHES

Hendersonville parishioner leaves estate gift to diocesan offices SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — When Josephine DeRosa passed away at age 91, she made an act of charity one of her final wishes. A parishioner at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville for more than 24 years, DeRosa left estate gifts in her will: a $15,000 gift to her parish and another gift to directly benefit the Diocese of Charlotte.

The gift to the diocese, which totals $28,500, will benefit the ministries and offices of the Diocesan Pastoral Center.

The Diocesan Pastoral Center, located on South Church Street in Charlotte, houses the many offices that support the local Church throughout the western half of North Carolina. A number of these offices are well known throughout the diocese because they are funded in part by the annual Diocesan Support Appeal.

The administrative offices – while not in the spotlight – are just as important as DSA-funded ministries in supporting the local Church. This includes Human Resources, Tribunal, Legal, Finance, Properties, Development and the Chancery.

Diocesan Chief Financial Officer Bill Weldon explains that financial support for these offices is primarily provided by funds from parishes.

“Bequests that benefit diocesan offices – such as this generous gift from Josephine DeRosa – are greatly appreciated as they provide much needed support for vital activities and reduce the financial burden on parishes,” Weldon said.

A portion of DeRosa’s $15,000 estate gift to her parish was added to one of 10 endowments the parish already uses to benefit the ongoing needs of the church and the parish school. The remainder of the estate gift went directly to the parish.

“I am grateful for the many faithful parishioners like Josephine who have left gifts to the parish in their will,” said Capuchin Franciscan Father Martin Schratz, pastor. “For many seniors who have retired here in Hendersonville, Immaculate Conception has become not only their home but their family.”

“More and more people across the diocese are remembering the Church in their estate plans – gifts from thousands of dollars to millions – and we are thankful for their generosity. Anyone can leave an estate gift to the Church,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development.

“I humbly ask our parishioners to consider gifts to the diocese, as well as their parishes, schools and agencies, when preparing or updating their wills,” Weldon said. Gifts to support current operations, as well as endowments to support future operations, are both critical to the financial well-being of the Church in western North Carolina.

For details about endowments or estate gifts, contact Ray-Eric Correia, diocesan director of planned giving, at 704-370-3364 or recorreia@ charlottediocese.org.

Longtime St. Thérèse parishioners Elizabeth Koury and Genevieve “DD” Goodman pose with an image of the original parish church on North Main Street in Mooresville where they met back in the 1950s.

Parish liturgy coordinator Rosemary Hyman painted the image of the original church.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘It’s amazing to see how the parish has grown’ St. Thérèse Parish marks 30 years in current location SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

MOORESVILLE — St. Thérèse Church, the third largest in the Diocese of Charlotte, has much to celebrate. On Jan. 27, Father Mark Lawlor, pastor, presided at Mass celebrating the 30th anniversary of the parish’s location on Brawley School Road. Parochial vicar Father Henry Tutuwan and Benedictine Father David Brown, the first known vocation from the parish, who grew up in the little town north of Charlotte and now resides at Belmont Abbey Monastery, joined him.

Father David, as he is called, gave the homily at the anniversary Mass, where he reminisced about his childhood and the parish’s early days.

“It’s amazing to see how the parish has grown,” he said. “When I was a boy, there was not a parish church. We met in the houses of other parishioners. I don’t remember that, I was too young. When the parish church was built, the whole thing could probably fit in this present church lock, stock and barrel – it was that small.

“When I was in high school, there were exactly four Catholics in the whole school, and my brother and I were two of them.”

St. Thérèse Church has seen explosive growth since its founding. Established in 1956, the Mooresville parish has been among the fastest-growing parishes in the diocese in recent years. The former parish church, (now the St. Ignatius Day Chapel) was dedicated on Jan. 30, 1988. At the time the church was dedicated, there were 310 registered families. It now ranks as the diocese’s third-largest parish with almost 4,200 registered families, behind St. Matthew Church in Charlotte (10,000plus families) and St. Mark Church in Huntersville (5,400 families), according to diocesan statistics.

After Mass, hundreds of parishioners gathered in the Lewis Mack Parish Life Center for a dinner celebration. Tables

were adorned with images of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the parish’s patron, and rosebush seed packets as little party favors for parishioners to take home to plant in their gardens.

Genevieve “DD” Goodman and her late husband Robert were married in the original parish church on North Main Street in 1955. Her family has a 63year history with the parish, and many fond memories of all of their children’s sacraments being received there.

“They moved the chapel up from one of the Marine barracks in 1949. My husband planted the shrubbery. We had fun,” Goodman said.

“I wasn’t a Catholic when he came to Mooresville (to live). We were married in 1955. I joined the Church when we were married,” she said. “Father Brown was one of my students (in religious education at the parish). He’s smart, very studious. He’s a teacher.”

One of Goodman’s lifelong friends, Elizabeth Koury, was also at the celebration. The two raised their families in the parish and are now considered the matriarchs of St. Thérèse Church.

“When we used to pray, ‘God let us grow,’ we should have said, ‘Wait a minute!’”

Koury joked. “We were so small and now we are so large. Having been here when it was so small, I used to know if someone didn’t come to Mass, they had to have a good reason.”

The two were happy to see each other, as Koury now counts on her son Chuck, who was baptized in the old St. Thérèse Church building, to bring her to Mass and parish events.

“Our kids grew up together,” Goodman recalled. “Bill (Elizabeth’s husband) and I both taught CCD. I rounded up all the kids and brought them all to church for CCD.” Koury chimed in, “We did everything.

There were so few of us. I cleaned the church every Friday before I went to work.”

Relative newcomers to St. Thérèse Parish, John and Bobbie Calzolano, were asked to bring up the gifts at Mass. They relocated from New Jersey a year ago to be near one of their sons and his family.

“We were very honored,” John Calzolano said. “We have been parishioners for over a year. We have six children and 17 grandchildren, and have been married for 53 years.”

Joanne Rizzo and her husband Bob have been parishioners for 27 years. She said she loves the parish because “it’s the people.

It’s not the church. There are good people here.”

Her in-laws, Michael and Vilma Rizzo, have been spending time in Mooresville with them on and off over the past 15 years.

“I was here when this building was first built, before the new church was built,” Michael Rizzo said. “We hope to relocate here. We made a lot of friends here.”

“It’s a lovely place to worship, I feel very much at home here,” Vilma Rizzo added.

Father Paul McNulty, one of the new parochial vicars at the parish who was assigned to St. Thérèse Church last July, attended the celebration after Mass. He and Father Lawlor are the first diocesan priests to lead the parish in nearly five decades, following the 2017 relocation of the Jesuits who had served the parish since 1970.

“The community has been incredibly welcoming to us,” he said. “Father Mark and I had some incredibly big shoes to fill since the Jesuits had been here for so long. Everyone has welcomed us with open arms.

“There is a very generous spirit here at the parish and we have been grateful for that.”

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos from St. Thérèse Church’s 30th anniversary celebration and read a history of the Mooresville parish

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Thousands come out for St. Matthew parish mission CHARLOTTE — Record crowds attended St. Matthew Church’s parish mission last week. The mission, “60 Minutes with Jesus,” was led by Father Jim Sichko, a full-time preacher, evangelist and motivational speaker based in the Diocese of Lexington, Ky. More than 1,000 people attended each morning session and more than 2,000 people attended each evening session Jan. 22-24.

“The mission has left me with a heart on fire. I have taken everything in that Father Jim has said, and I am filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit. I love a

good preacher and he is one of the best preachers and storytellers,” said Ann Hatton.

Said Janie Normile, “It has been really exciting being here with all these people who want more of a relationship with God. It has been extraordinary for me.

The laughter that Father Jim gives to us is another part of faith. Faith is serious, but it has to give us life and laughter at the same time. I am thrilled to be a part of this parish and what it does for me in my own personal faith life and for what it is doing constantly for the people of St. Matthew.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JULIA TURNER

Accrediting agency puts Belmont Abbey College on probation over financial reporting issue KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

BELMONT — Despite record enrollment and a rising graduation rate, Belmont Abbey College has been placed on a one-year probation by its accrediting agency.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges said the Catholic liberal arts college was placed on probation because it fell short on a compliance standard regarding financial stability.

Belmont Abbey College will remain accredited during the year-long probationary period.

“Belmont Abbey College was continued in accreditation for good cause and placed on Probation because SACSCOC’s Board of Trustees determined that while the institution met the conditions for good cause, it had failed to demonstrate compliance with Comprehensive Standard 3.10.1 (Financial stability) of the Principles of Accreditation.

This standard expects an institution to demonstrate that it has a recent history of financial stability,” according to a Dec. 14 statement by the agency.

The probation is not related to the core requirement regarding financial stability, but rather a subset related to a pattern in the college’s finances, said Rolando Rivas, communications director for the college.

“We are very confident that the probation is a temporary issue for us. The probation has nothing to do with our academic quality, as we are compliant with their standards and only found non-compliant with one of over 50 standards,” Rivas said.

The problem for the school arises out of its program to educate adult students (aged 23 and older).

According to a letter from Dr. William Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College, revenue from adult students at the Loughridge Center for Continuing and Professional Studies continues to decline at a slightly faster rate than the revenue gains from the traditional program.

The move to place the college on probation came after two years

of submitting additional financial reports to the accrediting agency.

“This decline in CCPS program revenue is the primary reason for SACSCOC’s citing CS 3.10.1. Because of this development, the SACSCOC Board of Trustees has placed the College on probation until December 2018,” Thierfelder said in his letter.

“We remain accredited for good cause during this period of probation, in recognition of the progress we have already made towards compliance under the standard.”

Probation is the most serious public sanction imposed by SACSCOC short of loss of accreditation.

Belmont Abbey College has experienced record enrollment of traditional students and corresponding revenue increases, improved retention and graduation rates, and reduced operating costs over the past three years.

“We continue to experience unprecedented growth in our traditional student enrollment and are recognized as a top 10 regional private college by U.S. News and World Report and recognized as a top private college in the south by the Princeton Review,” said Rivas, who also noted that the school’s investment in the adult enrollment will take time to have an impact.

Out of 190 schools reviewed during SACSCOC’s Dec. 3 meeting, Belmont Abbey College was among a handful of colleges placed on probation. Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte and Bennett College in Greensboro were also placed on similar year-long probations.

The accrediting agency will next review the college’s status in December. Meanwhile, it will conduct an on-site evaluation of the college’s efforts to address non-compliance.

Officials at Belmont Abbey College plan to meet with the accrediting agency soon to receive their report and share their plan for addressing their concerns, Rivas said.

“We are confident we will be found compliant at next year’s annual meeting and removed from probation,” Rivas said.

FILE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

The Hidden Dragon Lion Dance Team is always a hit at St. Joseph Vietnamese Church’s annual Têt Festival.

St. Joseph Vietnamese Church to host Têt Festival Feb. 16-18 CHARLOTTE — To celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year the Têt Festival at St. Joseph Church Feb. 16-18 will feature the presence of guest artists from the West Coast, the presentation of a spectacular Lion Dance, live music, games and activities for the whole family, as well as more than 90 delicious traditional dishes.

From the giant sandwiches, Bánh mi, to the well-known Pho soup, to the desserts of fried rolls with delightful bean flour, the delicious flavors will take you to another part of the world.

“We have a great opportunity to show and share our Vietnamese culture and Catholic faith,” said Father Tri Vinh Truong, pastor, who invites everyone to enjoy this wonderful and fun holiday.

“For us, the New Year is a fresh start with

blessings that await us.”

“That is why they celebrate it with many elements, but above all with food – lots of food – which is a sign of the blessings for the coming year,” said Father Truong.

The Têt Festival at St. Joseph Vietnamese Parish will be held from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16; 6-11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17; and 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18. Admission is free.

A special Mass for the festival will be celebrated at the church on 4929 Sandy Porter Road at 10:30 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 17. The Mass will be offered in Vietnamese.

All are welcome to attend the Têt Festival and the Mass to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2018, which on the lunar zodiac calendar is the Year of the Dog. — Catholic News Herald

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 2, 2018 OUR PARISHES

Church must ‘speak and live in truth’ to combat racism, bishop says PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITOR

CHARLOTTE — The Church must confront the sin of racism, listen to people who have been oppressed, and seek reconciliation in part by promoting people of color into leadership roles, said the bishop who is in charge of addressing the topic for the Church in the United States.

Bishop George Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, spoke about racism in the Church’s history and how the committee is addressing it during a Jan. 27 talk at St. Peter Church in Charlotte.

About 350 people attended the 2018 Kennedy Lecture, including members of Our Lady of Consolation Church. The majority black parish near downtown Charlotte has fostered an ongoing dialogue on race with members of St. Peter Church, a majority white parish less than three miles away, in the wake of a fatal police shooting that sparked violent protests in the city in 2016, leaving one Consolation parishioner dead.

Bishop Murry, a Jesuit whose background is in education, summarized Church teaching on racism and inequality, noting that the Church’s teaching on the fundamental dignity of all people has not always been reflected in its actions – especially in the United States, where racism is “deeply rooted.”

Bishop Murry criticized the Church’s lethargic response to racism in America even after the U.S. bishops issued a 1979 pastoral letter on racism, “Brothers and Sisters to Us.” “When considering the history of racism in the Catholic Church, one cannot help but

wonder why, in the United States, there was so little social consciousness among Catholics regarding racism,” he said. “Why does it appear the Church in America is incapable of taking decisive action and incapable of enunciating clear-cut principles regarding racism that have led to a change of attitude?”

“Racism is a sin that divides the human family and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father,” Bishop Murry said, and the Church must become “a consistent voice” to eradicate it.

“In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul tells us Jesus is our peace. It is by means of His shed blood and broken body that the dividing walls of enmity have been demolished,” the bishop said, referring to Ephesians 2:14.

“Today the Catholic Church in America must recognize that Christ wishes to break down the walls created by the evils of racism, whether that evil is displayed publicly for all to see or buried deep in the recesses of our hearts. If not, we are destined for history to continue to repeat itself, and once again the Church will be perceived as a silent observer in the face of racism.”

The U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, formed last August, aims to address the problem of racism in the Church and the wider community, “and the urgent need for the nation to come together to find solutions,” he said.

He said the committee is working to bring together people of various races, faiths, cultures and backgrounds – and then listening to them.

On Feb. 23, a national summit of religious leaders and others is being convened, he announced. This “ecumenical gathering” will discuss the sin of racism and find ways

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PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop George Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, spoke about racism in the Church’s history and how his committee is addressing it during a Jan. 27 talk at St. Peter Church in Charlotte — at 167 years old, the oldest Catholic church in the city. Behind him is a bas-relief depicting St. Katherine Drexel, who gave money to the parish to buy pews, with the caveat that worshipers not be segregated. to build bridges, he said.

Not just Catholics, but all people of good will must work together to improve race relations, he said, because as a general rule Christian leaders “have not been consistent in getting across to our people that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God.” “Through listening, prayer and meaningful collaboration, I am hopeful that we can find those lasting solutions that we so much need, and to find common ground, where racism will no longer find a place in our hearts or in our society.”

The Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism is also organizing a series of “listening sessions” across the country, Bishop Murry said.

Intended to be a “national conversation on race,” these sessions will take place in parishes, schools, seminaries, Catholic Charities organizations, Catholic health associations and social service agencies – “in every Catholic organization throughout the country,” he said.

“The goal will be to allow people to listen to each other, to exchange ideas, to become educated and change hearts,” he said, in part by listening closely to people who have experienced prejudice firsthand: African Americans, Latinos, immigrants, Jews and others.

The committee expects to issue a pastoral letter on racism this summer, Bishop Murry said, but that is not its primary focus. Instead, the committee will issue a study guide designed “to encourage people to come together and to overcome their hesitations and their fears, and to talk frankly with each other.”

“There are some people in our country who are not going to want to have anything to do with any discussion about race because they think that they’re OK, it doesn’t affect them, ‘leave me alone,’” he said. “There are other people who are curious and wondering.

They’re simply honest people who are saying, ‘I don’t want to oppress anybody. I don’t want to discriminate against anybody.

How can I learn how best to be sensitive to other people?’”

The study guide is meant to help people have earnest conversations with each other, he said.

Besides listening and learning, Bishop Murry said, the Church must “break her silence.”

“In imitation of Christ, we the Church must be willing to give our total lives over to the liberation of women and men by defending the dignity and fundamental rights of every human person – and this includes a visible denouncement of racism,” he said.

But beyond statements, he continued, “the Church must seek the forgiveness of those that she has victimized by her past injustices.”

Reconciliation can be fostered by finding ways to include people of color in decisionmaking and leadership roles within the Church, he said.

The Church must also confront racism wherever it occurs, he said.

The Church must “speak and live in truth,” he said, “leaving behind the comfortable attitudes of superiority and fear.

To get to that truth, we must break the silent complicity with the social evil of racism.”

“If race in the Catholic imagination is to exemplify the love of Christ, it must move forward with the realization that no one – no one – can enter into full communion with the Lord if his or her relationship is marked by indifference or oppression of others,” he said.

Some people may not feel comfortable talking about racism or “white privilege,” he said, but the Church should not shirk from teaching the truth.

“We have to be realistic in facing the evil of racism. It is deeply rooted in our consciousness, in our history and in our culture. It is not going away overnight,” he said. “What we have to do is chip away at it, with concrete examples of how white privilege factors into our daily lives and how it affects people who are not white.”

“The grace of God is the only thing that can lead us to stand up to the evil one and say, ‘I want to open my eyes and see the truth.’ Some people will be able to do that, some people will not,” Bishop Murry said.

More online At www.stpeterscatholic.org: Watch the video of Bishop George Murry’s talk “Confronting the Sins of Racism” At www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/ human-life-and-dignity/racism: Get resources about Church teaching on racism, read the 1979 pastoral letter “Brothers and Sisters to Us,” download prayers and liturgy guides, and more

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

The 2018 grant application, which includes eligibility, guidelines and application submission details, can be found at www.ccdoc.org/cchdcrs.

The email deadline for applications to be received is Thursday, Feb. 15.

— Joseph Purello

Learn about human trafficking

Deacon appointed CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter Jugis announces the appointment of Deacon Clarke E. Cochran to serve St. Peter Church in Charlotte effective Jan. 15.

From Lubbock, Texas, Deacon Cochran and his wife Anne relocated to Indian Trail to be closer to their grandchildren. Deacon Cochran was ordained on Feb. 14, 1981, for the Diocese of Amarillo by Bishop Leroy Matthieson. When the Diocese of Lubbock Cochran was established on June 17, 1983, he was incardinated into the Diocese of Lubbock and held several administrative offices including being appointed the first director of the Permanent Diaconate.

Throughout 37 years of diaconate service, he has given of himself in support of social teachings pertaining to religion, politics, health care policy, and Catholic social doctrine. He has been especially involved in homeless ministry, death penalty abolition and other aspects of charity and justice.

At the parish level, Deacon Cochran and his wife were founding members of St. John Neumann Parish in Lubbock, Texas. This was where he was assigned a deacon in 1981 and where he served until moving to North Carolina.

— Deacon John Martino

Feb. 8, the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, has been designated by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Union of Superiors General as an annual day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking.

Go online to www.usccb.org/about/antitrafficking-program/index.cfm for information and resources to raise awareness and educate yourself and others on human trafficking. On this page there is a link to the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking information page.

— Joseph Purello

Listening as an act of justice BELMONT — All are invited to a workshop on combatting racism, “Just Listening: A Workshop on Listening as an Act of Justice,” hosted by the Sisters of Mercy from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17, in Curtin Hall in the Mercy Administration Center, 101 Mercy Dr., Belmont.

The Sisters of Mercy are offering this workshop because of their commitment to non-violence. It will be presented by Sharon Browning, a trained mediator and attorney. As Pope Francis said in his New Years’ talk on non-violence: “An ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence between individuals and among peoples cannot be based on the logic of fear, violence and closedmindedness, but on responsibility, respect and sincere dialogue.” For details, call 704-8295260 or go to https://fs18.formsite.com/rtresp/ form31/index.html.

Seminarians advance through their formation COLUMBUS, Ohio — Seminarian Jonathan Torres was admitted to candidacy for holy orders during Mass Jan. 27 at the Pontifical College Josephinum, celebrated by Bishop Frederick F. Campbell of Columbus.

The Rite of Admission to Candidacy is celebrated when a seminarian, usually in his second year of graduate study, has reached a maturity of purpose in his formation and has demonstrated the necessary qualifications for ordination. In the presence of the bishop, he publicly expresses his intention to complete his preparation for holy orders and his resolve to fully invest himself to that end, so that he will serve Christ and the Church faithfully.

In addition, seminarians Alfonso Gamez and Britt Taylor made their profession of faith and took the oath of fidelity Jan. 25 in preparation for ordination to the transitional diaconate.

In preparation for ordination to the transitional diaconate, seminarians in their third year of graduate study at the Pontifical College Josephinum made the profession of faith and took the oath of fidelity in the presence of Monsignor Christopher J. Schreck, rector, and the seminary community. Candidates for ordination pledge to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church and swear to be faithful teachers of the Gospel.

— Carolyn A. Dinovo

Local CCHD Grant applications due Feb. 15 Applications for Local Catholic Campaign for Human Development Grants are now being accepted.

Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, through its Office of Social Concerns and Advocacy, sponsors the Local CCHD Grant Program. Funded projects must be sponsored by non-profits and target the root causes of poverty and related social concerns.

Sunday Latin Masses offered at Charlotte Catholic High School CHARLOTTE — To help meet the growing attendance and spiritual needs of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community, Father Jason Barone has begun offering Latin Masses at the Charlotte Catholic High School chapel.

The Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be celebrated every Sunday at 9 a.m. until Palm Sunday, March 25. Confessions will be heard starting at 8:30 a.m.

An extension of St. Ann Church’s Latin Mass

OUR PARISHESI

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ministry, these Masses are Low Masses – a type of Mass that is silent, when prayers are recited quietly instead of sung, and with no musical accompaniment.

About 60 people attended the first Septuagesima Mass Jan. 28.

In the traditional liturgical calendar, several weeks before Lent is the Septuagesima season and begins with Septuagesima Sunday, which is the third Sunday before Ash Wednesday, approximately 70 days before Easter, representing 70 years of the Babylonian exile.

It is followed by Sexagesima Sunday (60 days before Easter), and Quinquagesima Sunday (50 days before Easter), which is also the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. This pre-Lent season ends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

It is a time for voluntary penance and fasting in preparation for the obligatory fasting and penance during Lent. The priest wears violet vestments, and the Gloria and Alleluia are omitted at the Masses.

For details about the Latin Mass in Charlotte, contact the Charlotte Latin Mass Community at info@charlottelatinmass.org or go to www. charlottelatinmass.org.

— Markus Kuncoro, Charlotte Latin Mass Community

GLOBAL CATHOLIC TOURS OF VIRGINIA

2018 PILGRIMAGES

11 Days Italy September 10-21, 2018 $3,950 each 1 night Milan, 2 nights each in Florence and Assisi, 4 nights in Rome. With Fr. Dan Pisano from Wellsburg, WV 13 Days Fatima – Lourdes – France September 17-29, 2018: $4099 each 3 nights Fatima, 1 night Burgos, 2 nights Lourdes, 1 night each in Rocamadou and Nevers, 3 nights in Paris.

With Fr. Tom Mattingly from Williamsburg, VA.

Jefferson parish celebrates with concert, ice cream JEFFERSON — On the feast of the Epiphany, the St. Francis of Assisi Knights of Columbus Council 16839 hosted a free concert by Generation eXcellent, followed by Sunday Sundae, ice cream at old-fashioned prices, in the parish hall.

11 Days Poland and Prague October 1-11, 2018: $3650 each 2 nights Warsaw, 1 night Czestrochowa, 3 nights each in Krakow and Prague. With Fr. Bjorn Lundberg from Winchester, VA. 9 Days Holy Land October 8-16, 2018: $3340 each 1 night Tel Aviv, 2 nights Galilee, 3 nights Jerusalem. With Fr. Terry Crone from Newnan, GA. For brochures or information, contact John Tagnesi PH 1-888-544-4461 or jtag1964@ verizon.net

— Patrick Hession, correspondent

Greensboro parish offers Tai Chi exercises GREENSBORO — Each month the approximately 100 members of St. Pius X Church’s Seniors Ministry meet for Mass in the chapel followed by lunch and a short program.

Their first program of 2018 featured Eric Reiss of the Silk Tiger School of Tai Chi for an introduction and demonstration of Tai Chi. Tai Chi, originally a martial art, is mainly practiced today as a form of exercise to improve strength and balance.

Particularly among the elderly, the exercise can be beneficial in reducing the risk of falls, and it can be taught at all levels of ability – seated or standing. The Seniors Ministry is considering adding a Tai Chi class to its offerings. For more information about the St. Pius X Seniors Ministry, call Shelley Kreber at 336-272-4681, ext. 106.

— Shelley Kreber

Estate Planning Elder Law | Probate WAITING COULD DEVASTATE YOUR FAMILY St. Matthew’s Parishioner

704.843.1446 | www.ncestateplanninginfo.com

6406 Carmel Road, Suite 301 | Charlotte, North Carolina 28226

FACEBOOK.COM/ CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD ESPAÑOL

catholicnewsherald.com | February 2, 2018 10

EL SABOR DE LA FE

En la Iglesia San José, el aroma de incienso se mezcla con el de la cocina CESAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — A pesar que tan solo son las siete de la mañana del domingo, la cocina y salón multiusos de la Iglesia San José despiden un aroma que alimenta.

Decenas de voluntarios trabajan desde muy temprano en la preparación de la deliciosa, fresca y saludable comida típica vietnamita que se ofrecerá a la venta a los parroquianos que asisten a las misas dominicales.

La oferta de platillos es increíble, tanto como la explosión de sabores que dejan en nuestro paladar. Desde la conocida sopa Pho, hasta piezas de pollo frito, rollitos primavera vietnamita, sopa de productos del mar, pinchos de carne de cerdo, de pollo, souflés, exóticas ensaladas y muchas otras delicias que, estamos seguros, lo dejarán más que satisfecho.

Y si de postres se trata, no quedará desilusionado. No deje de probar el refresco de tapioca (yuca) y el plátano maduro arrebosado.

MUCHO MÁS

Pero la actividad de la cocina en San José no lo es todo.

Cada domingo, cientos de niños de todas las edades atienden las clases de vietnamita que imparten voluntarios. Además, el Grupo Juvenil Eucarístico también se reune para tomar clases de formación en la fe y luego participar en la misa en inglés que, animada por su coro, se celebra a las 12:30 del mediodía.

Según afirma el párroco, padre Tri Vinh Truong, la práctica católica está muy enraizada en la cultura vietnamita. “La gente trae a sus niños para que aprendan sobre la fe católica, pero además sobre las costumbres, tradiciones y cultura vietnamita”, dice, añadiendo que las clases de formación católica son dictadas en inglés -porque los niños hablan inglés- “y para que aprendan a valorar su cultura les damos clases de vietnamita”.

Para Paul Tran, miembro del Consejo de Consulta de la parroquia, un aspecto muy importante que ofrece la Iglesia, “es que damos un lugar donde socializar”, pues “algo que nos une a todos los inmigrantes de cualquier parte del mundo” es la alegría de encontrar a otra persona

de nuestra nacionalidad. “Conversamos, hallamos puntos en común, amigos, familiares y recuerdos. Y, mejor aún todavía, compartimos un plato de comida, con sabor casero” que, asegura, les hace olvidar la nostalgia por la tierra que dejaron atrás.

CRECIMIENTO

La comunidad católica vietnamita comenzó a formarse a inicios de los años 80, tras la llegada de una oleada de refugiados por la guerra civil y toma de poder por un gobierno comunista que impuso un régimen de terror y castigo para muchos ciudadanos y creyentes católicos.

En 1997, gracias al apoyo del Obispo Curlin que diseñó un programa de Misión en tres iglesias, los fieles pudieron ahorrar y compraron el terreno que hoy ocupan.

“Crecimos, nos hicimos más grandes y construimos el templo y los salones. En 2004, cuando el párroco era el padre Peter Tan Van Li, el Obispo Jugis consagró nuestra iglesia”, añade el padre Tri, Hoy, gracias a la participación de la comunidad y activo voluntariado, la parroquia lleva adelante otros programas como La Legión de María, Madres Católicas, Grupo de hombres del Sagrado Corazón, Enriquecimiento Matrimonial y más.

PREPARAN FESTIVAL

Fieles a la tradición oriental, la Iglesia San José celebrará del 16 al 18 de febrero el tradicional Têt Festival, que conmemora el Año Nuevo Lunar.

La fiesta, que cumple con todos los ingredientes para este gran acontecimiento, contará con la presencia de famosos artistas invitados procedentes de la Costa Oeste, la presentación de la espectacular Danza del León, música en vivo, juegos y actividades para toda la familia, así como con más de 90 deliciosos platillos tradicionales.

“Tenemos una gran oportunidad para mostrar y compartir nuestra cultura vietnamita y fe católica”, asegura el padre Tri, invitando a todos a disfrutar de esta maravillosa y divertida festividad. “Para nosotros, los vietnamitas, el Año Nuevo es un volver a comenzar con bendiciones que nos esperan”. Por ello lo celebran con muchos elementos, pero sobre todo con comida, mucha

CESAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

La venta de alimentos sirve para proveer fondos a la Iglesia San José. En la preparación y venta intervienen únicamente voluntarios.

Los integrantes del Grupo Juvenil Eucarístico tienen un momento para compartir un delicioso almuerzo, mientras esperan el inicio de la Misa de 12:30 p.m. comida, “que es una señal de las bendiciones que nos esperan”, subrayó el padre Tri. La Iglesia San José está ubicada en 4929 Sandy Porter Rd, Charlotte, NC 28273. El Festival Têt se celebrará el viernes 16 y sábado 17, de 6 a 11 p.m.; y el domingo 18 de 9:30 a.m. a 2 p.m. Para mayores informes contacte a Bao Vu al 704-504-0907.

Más en línea En www.catholicnewsherald.com y la página www.facebook. com/CNHespanol: Vea el video sobre la Iglesia Vietnamita San José

Dominicanos celebraron a su protectora, la Virgen de Altagracia CESAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — El pasado domingo 21 de enero, un gran núnero de fieles de la República Dominicana se congregó en la Iglesia San Gabriel, al sur de la ciudad, para celebrar la fiesta de su protectora, la Virgen de Altagracia.

Organizados gracias a la iniciativa de un grupo de feligreses de esa parroquia, los devotos de la Virgen recibieron el respaldo del padre Fidel Melo, director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte, quien ha incentivado entre la comunidad de fe la celebración de las advocaciones marianas de toda Latinoamérica.

Ataviados con trajes típicos, un grupo de niños y jóvenes llevaron en procesión la imágen de la milagrosa Virgen hasta un pequeño altar, adornándola con flores.

Luego, en el momento de las ofrendas, además del pan y el vino, llevaron hasta

ella varios productos típicos que se producen en esta isla del Caribe.

Durante su homilía, el padre Fidel Melo destacó el papel de la Virgen de Altagracia en la Iglesia dominicana y resaltó que, por primera vez en la historia de la ciudad, se abrió un espacio para honrar este culto.

La dominicana Lourdes Baeza, quien fue invitada a explicar el significado de la imagen, señaló que la Virgen está coronada por 12 estrellas, que representan las 12 tribus de Israel y también a los doce apóstoles. “Delante de ella se encuentra el Niño Jesús, detrás está San José y a su derecha la estrella de Belén”. Luego aclaró que María se encuentra en actitud de adoración, “con sus manos unidas en forma de arco”, y en su pecho se encuentra un triángulo blanco “que representa del nacimiento virginal de Jesús”.

Al término de la Misa se ofreció a los asistentes una cena con platillos típicos dominicanos, además de pastel, bocadillos y refrescos.

Un grupo de niños realizó una danza tradicional y luego se le unió una pareja de adultos. Como no podía ser de otra manera, siguiendo el alegre espíritu dominicano, la reunión concluyó en una breve fiesta, con música de por medio.

OTRAS FESTIVIDADES

La comunidad hispana de esta parroquia prepara para el domingo 4 de febrero, a las 6:30 p.m., la celebración de la fiesta de la Virgen de Suyapa, patrona de Honduras. El viernes 2 un grupo de fieles dará homenaje a la Virgen de la Candelaria, cuya devoción -iniciada en España- se extiende por casi toda Latinoamérica y otros países como Italia, Israel y Guinea Bissau.

Más en línea En www.catholicnewsherald.com: Vea el video sobre la celebración a la Virgen de Altagracia realizada en la Iglesia San Gabriel

CESAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Las hermanas Jazmine Altagracia y Jairene Altagracia Morey, ataviadas con trajes típicos de la República Dominicana, llevaron la imagen de la Virgen de Altagracia hasta el altar.

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

11

FAMILIA Y SERVICIO, DOS TEMAS CRÍTICOS EN LA VIDA DE LA IGLESIA

Padre José Luis Serrano lo advirtió durante conferencia en iglesia de Kannapolis CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

KANNAPOLIS — En el marco de una visita por los estados de Carolina del Norte y Carolina del Sur, el padre José Luis Serrano celebró misa y condujo una charla en la Iglesia San José de Kannapolis el pasado jueves 25 de enero.

El padre Serrano, sacerdote de la Diócesis de Tampico, México, se dirigió a más de un centenar de fieles que se reunieron para recibir sus enseñanzas.

Nacido en el estado de Zacatecas en 1978, Jose Luis Serrano se licenció en Filosofía y Teología en Roma, Italia, en 1978, siendo ordenado sacerdote en 2006.

Serrano, reconocido por su reciente participación en el Congreso Eucarístico 2017, reflexionó sobre el servicio y la familia en la sociedad, utilizando un estilo sencillo y amable pero directo.

VOLVER AL PLAN DE DIOS

Ante la crisis moral que atraviesa nuestra sociedad, y por tanto la familia, el sacerdote destacó la “necesidad de volver al plan original de Dios para nosotros”.

“Todos coincidimos que la crisis de nuestro tiempo es una crisis de valores familiares.

Y desde la familia se transmite a otras áreas de la sociedad”, añadió.

Señaló que a través de los medios de comunicación se transmite el materialismo (apego a los bienes materiales y dinero), el subjetivismo (donde no hay verdades absolutas sino que dependen del valor que le den las personas) y el relativismo (doctrina donde la verdad no existe). “Y cuando tenemos tantos frentes, lo que debemos de hacer es volver a enseñar la verdad. No solo con la defensa de la fe, sino además con el respaldo científico con el que contamos. No se trata que nos vean como atrasados y poco modernos. Tenemos que ir a las cosas como Dios nos la dio y necesitamos que Dios tenga nuevamente voz y voto”, expuso.

Para el sacerdote, la crisis de la familia es una realidad global, por lo que se hace indispensable volver a crear una cultura en la que debemos entender que no somos dueños de la verdad. “Hoy por hoy mantener los valores se ve como anormal.

Demoler la familia fue una tarea rápida y nos toca la tarea de restablecerla”, aunque advierte que este cambio histórico llevará mucho tiempo.

Para Serrano, la tarea debe comenzar

en las parroquias donde hay que recrear la cultura de la familia, la belleza del matrimonio entre hombre y mujer, la comunidad base donde hay que obedecer las reglas y autoridad que establecen el padre y la madre, pues “en la familia se aprende a amar, a ser amado, a respetar”.

EL SERVICIO

Aplicando sus ideas sobre la crisis de la familia al ámbito de lo que llama “la familia parroquial”, hizo hincapié en la designación de mandos y responsabilidades entre los servidores, donde “las tentaciones se acrecientan cuanto más la persona se compromete en servir a Dios”. Y una de ellas, resaltó, es la de “tomar poder”, de apropiarse del ministerio y las personas que en él sirven.

“Es una pena ver divisiones entre grupos de laicos que sirven en la Iglesia”, señaló, “especialmente cuando todos queremos lo mismo”.

Tras pasar una Biblia de mano en mano entre algunos de los asistentes, pidió le sea devuelta. Luego examinó el libro y preguntó si a alguien se le había ocurrido arrancarle una hoja, hacer anotaciones o cualquier otra cosa. “No”, respondieron los asistentes. ¿Y por qué no?, volvió a preguntar el sacerdote. “Porque no es nuestra”, fue la respuesta general. “Ustedes lo han dicho”, explicó el padre, “tenemos que evitar el individualismo en la Iglesia.

Nosotros no la vamos a cambiar. La iglesia es una realidad que recibimos y es nuestra responsabilidad entregarla igual”, aclaró.

Citando a San Agustín, el padre Serrano dijo que “en lo accidental”, en los “detalles”, podemos mostrar diversidad, pero “en lo fundamental unidad. Y siempre con caridad” “Tener mando en un ministerio significa que te conviertes en el primer servidor de ese ministerio. Quiere decir que tienes una responsabilidad mayor, la de ser servidor de todos los servidores a tu cargo. ¿Cómo creen que firma el Papa? Antes de poner su rúbrica, el Papa firma como ‘siervo de todos los siervos de Dios’. Ese es el ejemplo”, sentenció.

El padre José Luis Serrano bendice a los portadores del pan y el vino durante la celebración de la Eucaristía previa a su conferencia.

FOTO POR CESAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Director of Christian Formation - Full Time Position

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Charlotte, NC, is seeking a full time Director of Christian Formation. This position reports to the pastor and requires a creative, energetic & charismatic leader who focuses on supporting the growth & continuity of existing adolescent, youth and adult programs, and creating new programs. This position may include evening hours, Sundays & some weekends.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to: directing the religious education and youth ministry programs, providing spiritual and professional formation for catechists and volunteers, working with parish families to cultivate vocations & Catholic family life, supervising & teaching Sacraments and Sacramental Coordinators, coordinating a speaker series, and working closely with the pastor to increase parish devotions & discipleship.

Qualifications: The successful candidate must: • Be a practicing Catholic, in good standing with the Church and committed to the authentic teaching of the Catholic faith.

• Be self-motivated and possess strong evangelization and catechists skills.

Más en línea En www.catholicnewsherald.com y la página www.facebook.com/CNHespanol: Vea y comparta el video sobre la entrevista al padre José Luis Serrano durante su visita a Kannapolis.

• Have excellent written & oral communication skills.

• Be proficient in Microsoft Office, email & other common computer programs.

• Be capable of working as an active member of pastoral staff • Recruit & supervise volunteers and be a trustworthy steward of Parish resources • Be willing to travel as may be required for certain events.

• The candidate must pass a background screening check and must complete the VIRTUS "Protecting God's Children" safe environment program.

Education: The candidate should have a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology or Religious Studies from a Catholic Institution or must have equivalent experience in Parish faith formation ministry. Safe Environment training/background checks required.

Professional Experience: Three years of faith formation experience preferred.

Prices starting at $2,499 ~ with Airfare Included in this price from anywhere in the USA We offer several other trips to different destinations: the Holy Land; Italy; France, Portugal, & Spain; Poland; Lourdes, & Fatima; Ireland & Scotland; England; Austria, Germany, & Switzerland; Greece & Turkey; Budapest; Prague; Our Lady of Guadalupe; Colombia; Brazil; Argentina; Domestic Destinations; etc…

We also specialize in custom trips for Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. www.proximotravel.com Hablamos Español anthony@proximotravel.com

508-340-9370 855-842-8001 Call us 24/7

Qualified candidates may submit their resume and cover letter including salary requirements to Jim Bowling at JBowling@stpatricks.org.

About the Parish: The Cathedral of Saint Patrick, established in 1939, is a vibrant parish made up of 700+ families located in historic Charlotte, the largest city in the state of North Carolina and one of the fastest growing large cities in the United States. We strive to enable ongoing conversion to Christ of our adults, to inspire faith in our children, and to be witnesses of His love in the greater community.

12

iiiFebruary 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

‘We are called to share our love with others because God first loves us.’ Bishop Peter Jugis

‘We are called’:

HISPANIC MINISTRY

SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

C

HARLOTTE — Our gifts of time, talent and treasure have an impact. In the Diocese of Charlotte, this is evident in the ministries supported by the Diocesan Support Appeal.

In his letter to parishioners to kick off the 2018 Diocesan Support Appeal, Bishop Peter Jugis wrote, “We have been blessed to live in a growing and thriving diocese. God continues to call us to participate with Him to build His kingdom here in western North Carolina by sharing the gifts we have been given.

“The theme of the 2018 DSA, ‘We Are Called,’ is a shining reminder to each one of us that we are special, and we are loved, and we have many opportunities to respond in gratitude.”

The DSA videos which were created in English and Spanish, share the stories of a few people in the diocese who have been called to serve in DSA-funded ministries, or have been served by DSA-funded ministries.

Here are some highlights of those stories:

CAMPUS MINISTRY

The Diocese of Charlotte operates Campus Ministry programs, funded in large part by the DSA, at 16 colleges and universities across western North Carolina.

Western Carolina University Campus Minister Matthew Newsome, a graduate of WCU, now leads the program at his alma mater.

“As a campus minister, the largest part of my job is spiritual formation of the students. This takes place both formally, through RCIA and sacramental preparation, and informally, whenever a student seeks me out when they need to talk with a caring adult.

“I do weekly catechesis with them as a group on Sunday evenings, work with student leaders to plan weekly Bible studies and retreats each semester, organize weekly fellowship meals, where students share with one another different aspects of the Catholic faith of which they are learning, coordinate community service activities, and respond to other student needs as they arise.

“I’m also constantly thinking about ways to advertise, promote, and otherwise get the word out on campus about our ministry, so that students know that we are here for them.”

Newsome is also one of the 15 men scheduled to be ordained a permanent deacon in the diocese in April.

PERMANENT DIACONATE PROGRAM

2018 Diocesan Support Appeal kicks off

Deacon David Reiser of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte is a convert to the faith. He met his wife in Puerto Rico while working as an FBI agent and after her invitation to go to his first Catholic Mass, he realized he had found his church home.

“Now, as a deacon, I am the faith formation coordinator for Our Lady of the Assumption. This parish is one of the most multicultural parishes in the diocese,” he explains. “I love the challenge of bringing the faith to parish families from various Latin American countries, Vietnam and even Burma.”

Deacon Reiser has attended the Eucharistic Congress annually and works with the diaconate formation class. He also volunteers as a chaplain at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, as well as for the FBI. He is bilingual and has taught Lay Ministry classes in English and Spanish.

“Funding from the Diocesan Support Appeal has been the backbone of so many of the ministries I am a part of: RCIA, Faith Formation, the Permanent Diaconate, the Eucharistic Congress and Lay Ministry. I am grateful for the financial generosity and the prayerful support from so many throughout the diocese.”

Sister Joan Pearson, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph based in Philadelphia, works with Hispanic families in the Salisbury area of the diocese. DSA funding helps her and nine other Hispanic ministry coordinators minister to Hispanic families in parishes across the 46 counties of western North Carolina.

“My days are very busy,” she explains. “In the mornings and early afternoons I visit the parishes in the area. All the Hispanic ministers in the diocese are resources for the pastors as needs arise with their Hispanic communities.

“Like the other Hispanic ministers in the diocese, I spend my evenings with the people – offering catechesis, Hispanic family programs, young adult programs, and sometimes just an ear to listen to their hopes and fears and frustrations.”

Thanks to the financial support of the DSA, she notes, “My fellow Hispanic ministers and I are able to answer God’s call to accompany our Hispanic brothers and sisters on their faith journeys.”

DSA FUNDING

The DSA campaign funds more than 50 diocesan programs. It also funds the core operations of 23 ministries and agencies, like those mentioned above, that serve thousands of people across the diocese.

Most notably, the DSA is a significant funding source for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte for its counseling, food pantries, pregnancy support, refugee resettlement, elder ministry, Respect Life and other programs, as well as the programs and ministries of the Education Vicariate.

The DSA also supports multicultural ministries, seminarian education, the permanent diaconate, the annual Eucharistic Congress, and the diocese’s housing corporation.

Catholic Charities receives 33 percent of the funds collected in the campaign. Other DSA funds are allocated to: the Education Vicariate (27 percent); multicultural ministries (14 percent); vocations (14 percent); and the Eucharistic Congress and the diocesan housing ministry (7 percent).

Campaign administrative costs On the Diocese of Charlotte’s are projected to be 5 percent.

YouTube channel: View the 2018 DSA Last year, parishioners raised video in English or Spanish a record $6.2 million – 11 percent over the goal and the most ever raised in this annual campaign.

The 2018 DSA campaign has a goal of $5.87 million, which represents a 3.5 percent increase over 2017.

Parishioners in all 92 parishes and missions in the diocese fund the annual DSA campaign. Each parish has an assessed goal.

Parishes that exceed their goal in donations receive a rebate for 100 percent of the additional funds collected; parishes which fall short of their goal in donations from parishioners make up the shortfall from their operating budgets.

“Through personal prayers and financial gifts we can impact the lives of thousands of our brothers and sisters throughout the diocese,” Bishop Jugis notes in his letter. “Pray, and ask God how He wants you to respond.

“Consider the more than 19,000 people who will come to Catholic Charities for help this year. Consider the 28 seminarians, who may someday serve as your pastor. Consider the hundreds of youth who will grow closer to Jesus by attending the Diocesan Youth Conference.

Consider the individuals who have been impacted by our Respect Life ministry.

“We are called to share our love with others because God first loves us. I am confident that you will answer God’s call and help us bring Christ’s love to others.”

Learn more

7% OTHER 14% VOCATIONS

How to support the DSA PLEDGE: Make a pledge in response to a mailing you receive or in-pew appeal at your local parish. An individual DSA pledge may be paid in up to 10 installments by EFT, credit card or check. Pledging allows you to make a greater gift over time. You will receive monthly reminder statements in the mail or by email until your pledge is paid, or until December 2018.

DONATE ONLINE: Donate online at www. charlottediocese.org/dsa, either with a one-time gift or recurring monthly gifts via credit or debit card. (If you give online, please do not complete a pledge envelope at your local parish. This could result in having two gift records.)

ONE-TIME DONATIONS: Give a one-time contribution in response to a mailing you receive or in-pew appeal at your local parish. Please make checks payable to the “DSA” and note the name of your parish in the memo line of the check. Do not send cash through the mail.

STOCK DONATION: Make a donation of publicly traded securities and receive the tax benefits for giving appreciated stock. Instructions are online at www.charlottediocese.org/ donations.

FOR INQUIRIES: Contact Kerry Ann Tornesello, associate director of development, at 704-3703302 or email katornesello@ charlottediocese.org.

14% MULTICULTURAL MINISTRIES

5% DSA CAMPAIGN COSTS

33 CA C

HE COVER

3% ATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE

27% EDUCATION

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

Where does your money go?

The purpose of the Diocesan Support Appeal is to help provide the annual funding necessary to carry out the mission of our diocese – namely to fulfill our call to “grow ever more perfectly into a community of praise, worship and witness, and to become a leaven of service and sign of peace through love in the Piedmont and Western North Carolina.”

All parishes and missions in the diocese help fund the annual DSA. Parishes that exceed their goal in donations receive a rebate of 100 percent for the additional funds. Parishes that fall short of their goal in donations have the shortfall taken out of their operating budgets.

The DSA provides funding for the following: 33% CATHOLIC CHARITIES CC Administration CC Charlotte Office CC Triad Office CC Western N.C. Office Refugee Resettlement Office of Economic Opportunity Family Life Ministries Social Concerns and Advocacy Respect Life Counseling Services Adoption and Pregnancy Support Direct Assistance (Food Pantries)

27% EDUCATION Adult Education/Evangelization Campus Ministry Faith Formation Office Youth Ministry Catholic Schools Offices Office of the Vicar of Education 14% MULTICULTURAL MINISTRIES Hispanic Ministries Hmong Ministry African American Ministry

14% VOCATIONS Seminarian Education Permanent Diaconate 7% OTHER Eucharistic Congress Housing Ministry 5% DSA CAMPAIGN COSTS

NOTE: THIS CHART REFLECTS PROJECTED 2018 DSA FUNDING FOR $5.87 MILLION WHICH IS ALLOCATED TO THESE OFFICES AND MINISTRIES.

PARISH/MISSION

CITY

Christ the King Mission Christ the King Church Divine Redeemer Church Good Shepherd Mission Holy Angels Church Holy Cross Church Holy Family Church Holy Infant Church Holy Redeemer Church Holy Spirit Church Holy Trinity Church Immaculate Conception Church Immaculate Conception Church Immaculate Conception Mission Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission Our Lady of Consolation Church Our Lady of Fatima Mission Our Lady of Grace Church Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Our Lady of Lourdes Church Our Lady of Mercy Church Our Lady of the Americas Church Our Lady of the Angels Church Our Lady of the Annunciation Church Our Lady of the Assumption Church Our Lady of the Highways Church Our Lady of the Mountains Our Lady of the Rosary Church Prince of Peace Mission Queen of the Apostles Church Sacred Heart Church Sacred Heart Mission Sacred Heart Mission Sacred Heart Church St. Aloysius Church St. Andrew the Apostle Church St. Ann Church St. Barnabas Church St. Benedict Church St. Benedict the Moor Church St. Bernadette Mission St. Charles Borromeo Church St. Dorothy Church St. Elizabeth Church St. Eugene Church St. Frances of Rome Mission St. Francis of Assisi Church St. Francis of Assisi Church St. Francis of Assisi Church St. Francis of Assisi Church St. Gabriel Church St. Helen Mission St. James Church St. James Church St. Joan of Arc St. John Baptist de La Salle Church St. John Lee Korean Church St. John Neumann Church St. John the Baptist Church St. John the Evangelist Church St. Joseph Church St. Joseph Church St. Joseph Church St. Joseph Church St. Joseph - Vietnamese Church St. Joseph of the Hills Church St. Jude Mission St. Lawrence Basilica St. Leo the Great Church St. Lucien Church St. Luke Church St. Margaret Mary Church St. Margaret of Scotland Church St. Mark Church St. Mary Church St. Mary Church St. Mary, Mother of God Church St. Matthew Church St. Michael the Archangel Church St. Patrick Cathedral St. Paul the Apostle Church St. Peter Church St. Philip the Apostle Church St. Pius X Church St. Stephen Mission St. Thérèse Church St. Thomas Aquinas Church St. Vincent de Paul Church St. William Church

Kings Mountain High Point Boonville King Mount Airy Kernersville Clemmons Reidsville Andrews Denver Taylorsville Forest City Hendersonville Canton High Point Hayesville Charlotte Winston-Salem Greensboro Cherokee Charlotte Monroe Winston-Salem Biscoe Marion Albemarle Charlotte Thomasville Highlands Lexington Robbinsville Belmont Brevard Wadesboro Burnsville Salisbury Hickory Mars Hill Charlotte Arden Greensboro Winston-Salem Linville Morganton Lincolnton Boone Asheville Sparta Franklin Jefferson Lenoir Mocksville Charlotte Spencer Mountain Concord Hamlet Candler North Wilkesboro Charlotte Charlotte Tryon Waynesville Asheboro Bryson City Kannapolis Newton Charlotte Eden Sapphire Asheville Winston-Salem Spruce Pine Mint Hill Swannanoa Maggie Valley Huntersville Greensboro Shelby Sylva Charlotte Gastonia Charlotte Greensboro Charlotte Statesville Greensboro Elkin Mooresville Charlotte Charlotte Murphy

13

DSA GOAL $4,350 $12,690 $25,906 $12,625 $23,638 $79,880 $151,915 $16,728 $5,428 $63,337 $7,622 $41,256 $138,121 $3,884 $144,104 $20,907 $48,768 $9,246 $109,241 $3,998 $73,498 $53,892 $85,458 $27,102 $11,282 $29,264 $54,256 $16,293 $15,739 $20,829 $3,002 $91,988 $51,592 $2,380 $9,140 $95,149 $117,403 $8,873 $106,285 $79,526 $23,458 $11,485 $31,941 $50,138 $29,719 $41,764 $81,273 $8,699 $27,722 $19,073 $29,870 $17,163 $364,386 $5,265 $124,500 $12,361 $28,748 $15,823 $13,704 $109,402 $45,425 $16,008 $31,398 $6,665 $18,638 $25,094 $47,669 $10,343 $21,018 $77,103 $167,576 $9,502 $104,897 $24,524 $17,829 $285,108 $40,979 $22,656 $17,971 $850,745 $71,027 $91,302 $105,765 $151,387 $45,951 $205,314 $12,663 $170,791 $108,961 $121,072 $21,528

TOTAL $5,870,000

Our schools 14

catholicnewsherald.com | February 2, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Celebrating Catholic Schools Week ‘Go to Jesus, He can help you’ At Catholic Schools Week Mass, Bishop Jugis urges students to pray SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

HUNTERSVILLE — Christ the King High School students welcomed Bishop Peter Jugis for Mass Jan. 30 for Catholic Schools Week.

Bishop Jugis addressed the students, faculty and families gathered for the Catholic Schools Week Mass during his homily, drawing from the Gospel of Mark 5:21-43, which highlights intercessory prayer and faith in God’s mercy.

Speaking about how Jairus, one of the synagogue officials, is a model of prayer for us, Bishop Jugis pointed out how Jairus came forward and asked Jesus to heal his daughter.

“How does he know that Jesus can do something for him?” Bishop Jugis asked. “The reason is that somehow He had already spoken to the heart of Jairus and given him some grace, some initial faith, telling him, ‘Go to Jesus. He can help you. Go to Jesus.’”

Jairus responds to that faith that God has already given him, Bishop Jugis continued. “And just as the woman in the Gospel who suffered for years, how does she know to go to Jesus? God has already given her a gift of faith. God is already speaking to her somehow: ‘Go to Jesus. He is the one who can help you.’”

Bishop Jugis pointed out that both people in the Gospel respond to that inner prompting of grace.

“We see Jesus is very happy to respond to their requests for help,” he noted.

“Jesus says elsewhere in the Gospel to His disciples, ‘I will come to you and I will make my dwelling place with you.’ He has come to each one of you to make His dwelling place with you. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. He comes and spends His life with us, to be with us at every moment.”

Jesus “desires a relationship with you,” he said. “God desires a relationship with you. God desires a relationship with us so much that He’s already reaching out to us before we even know it. He is coming to us. He is reaching out to us.

“He has an eternal desire to be in relationship with you, for you to know Him and for you to love Him. He’s happy to give you that grace.”

Looking out over the students, Bishop Jugis encouraged them, “Go to Jesus, He can help you. Isn’t it a wonderful sign of the covenant relationship between God and you, how He is acting interiorly in your heart?

“You all know it. You all experience it, if you take a moment to reflect how the Lord is with you, how He is speaking to you, prompting you and motivating you.”

He enjoined the students to “do what is right. Turn away from what is wrong. Love, don’t hate. Be reconciled, don’t continue to be at odds with others. All of these are promptings of God’s graces, and we can choose in faith whether we’ll follow that grace or if we have another agenda.”

He also encouraged them to pray for their families, for the sick, and for those who having difficulties – mentioning them by name to the Lord.

“Pray also for those who have hurt you, or from whom you are estranged. I assure you, anytime that you can actually start praying for someone who has hurt you or from whom you are estranged, whatever anger or animosity is in your heart starts to dissipate,” he said.

“It’s not worth living with animosity or anger, or whatever distance there may be. Prayer, coming before the

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Jugis delivers his homily at Mass at Christ the King High School Jan. 30.

To kick off Catholic Schools Week, St. Patrick School kindergarten students visited the Dilworth Soup Kitchen, fifth-grade students visited Catholic Charities’ Charlotte food pantry, and fifth- and firstgraders worked together to make Snackwells to raise money for a clean water project benefiting Ghana.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY KIMBERLY KNOX AND MELISSA KINSLEY

Bishop McGuinness High School students kicked off Catholic Schools Week by returning to their roots and being featured as alumni readers in their former Catholic elementary schools across the Triad. Pictured is Bobby Peters reading to second-graders at St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SHEILA LEVESQUE PHOTO PROVIDED BY KATRINA CAPISTRANO

Students at Our Lady of Mercy School in WinstonSalem started Catholic Schools Week by praying a Living Rosary.

Lord’s love, collapses the distance and makes you one with that person at least spiritually.”

“Pray for those whom you love. And then it’s in the Lord’s hands. He does what He wills. He always answers prayers in His way.”

At the end of Mass, Dr. Carl Semmler, principal of Christ the King High School, gave the bishop a spiritual bouquet, a gift bag filled with prayer cards from the students who

Members of St. Michael School’s Beta Club made 106 “blessing bags” for a Catholic Schools Week project. The gift bags will be distributed to the St. Michael Thrift store, Sisters of Mercy and a local homeless shelter.

had offered sacrifices and prayers for him in advance of his visit.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See video highlights from the Catholic Schools Week Mass, and more photos from the week’s activities at all of the diocesan schools

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

second place – Ariana Tsehaie presenting “Numerical Memory”; and third place – John Rhodes presenting “Freezing Rates.” They are pictured (from left): John Rhodes, Sam Cook and Ariana Tsehaie.

Cook went on to win first place in the life

In Brief

success managing their portfolio. While the investment funds are fictional, the experience will be real and the students’ knowledge of financial markets will be greatly enhanced.

Also, the high school recently launched a oneto-one laptop program – giving every student and faculty member a new MacBook Air. Through this series of high-tech efforts, the school aims to introduce students to the use of hardware and software to solve real world problems.

Jr. Beta Club inductees HIGH POINT – Immaculate Heart of Mary School recently inducted 14 middle school students into the National Jr. Beta Club. The Jr. Beta Club promotes academic achievement, scholarship, leadership and good citizenship.

— Kimberly Knox

15

science division and was named overall middle school division winner at the 10th annual Gaston Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia last month. Tsehaie placed second in the life science division.

— Tammy Eason

Growing Together in Faith & Knowledge: Catholic Schools Excel Saturday, February 3 from 9am - 12noon Admissions Open House for K – 8th Grades, Coffee Reception & Programs "Why SHCS?" Program sessions begin at 9:15am Campus tours with Q & A Speak to our teachers, parents and students

Monday, February 12 from 6 - 7:30pm

— Carrie Vest

Admissions Open House for K-8th grades Visit, tour our classrooms and speak to our teachers!

BMHS students launch stock market portfolio simulation KERNERSVILLE — Bishop McGuinness High School seniors have embarked on a school year long partnership with UBS wealth management representatives John Aderholdt and Mark Aderholdt. Throughout the year the entire senior class is researching, analyzing and developing a portfolio of stocks under the guidance of wealth management professionals from UBS. Using the Investopedia website, the students are engaging in the portfolio challenge and at the end of April the students will be rewarded based on their

Sacred Heart Catholic School St. Michael science fair winners named GASTONIA — St. Michael School congratulates its 2017-’18 Science Fair winners: First place – Sam Cook presenting “You’ve Been Strooped!”;

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 2, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

expressions of friendship, loyalty and self-sacrifice and some intriguing Christian symbolism, the trilogy has clearly outworn its welcome. Relentless but bloodless violence and gunplay, scenes of torture, occasional crude and profane language.

CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13

‘Phantom Thread’ All silk, organza, lace and tulle in the first half and a bizarre portrayal of marriage in the second half. In this bumpy, bizarre trip through high fashion and passiveaggressive sniping in 1950s London, a high-society dressmaker (Daniel Day-Lewis) inflicts emotional torture on his latest muse (Vicky Krieps) until she finds a disturbing way to make him dependent on her.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson may be trying to make a statement about necessary sacrifices to make the manwoman dynamic function properly, but despite the lush, appealing visuals, he’s come up with an ugly denouement straight out of a cheap horror film. Aberrant view of marriage, frequent rough language.

CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: R

‘Den of Thieves’ ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ In this adaptation of the third and final novel in James Dashner’s sci-fi trilogy, the story of a band of teens and their fearless leader (Dylan O’Brien) fighting evil in post-apocalyptic world comes to a noisy and violent conclusion. The gang seeks to liberate their peers from tortuous experiments conducted by a wicked doctor and her colleague, who seek a cure to a deadly virus that has decimated the population. Returning director Wes Ball operates at a breakneck pace, turning this film into a white-knuckle roller-coaster ride. Despite worthy

A morass of crass. Gerald Butler is a rogue and troubled Los Angeles police officer chasing after a hyper-violent crew of bank robbers who have, as their ultimate goal, the heretofore-unassailable Los Angeles Federal Reserve Bank from which they hope to “withdraw” $30 million in untraceable cash. Director Christian Gudegast, launches several scattershot, implausible plot lines that never quite come together.

Skewed view of law enforcement, pervasive gun and physical violence, pervasive rough language and profanities.

CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: R

On TV n Friday, Feb. 2, 5:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Faith in the Heartland: Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Dyersville Iowa.” Father Joseph Mary Wolfe visits beautiful rural Iowa where he grew up to bring viewers a glimpse of the faithful in that region. Visit remarkable gothic churches of the area and the people who built them. n Saturday, Feb. 3, 4 p.m. (EWTN) “Tshimangadzo: The Story of Benedict Daswa.” Details surrounding Blessed Benedict Daswa’s life as a beloved husband, father, and devout Catholic, who was eventually martyred for denouncing the ritualistic killings being done in South Africa. n Saturday, Feb. 3, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Poveda.” Courageous and innovative, Fr. Pedro Poveda Spanish fought tirelessly against social injustices until the moment of his death at the onset of the Spanish Civil War. n Sunday, Feb. 4, 5:30 p.m.

(EWTN) 5:30 PM “Blessed Paul VI vs. Margaret Sanger.” Benjamin Wiker presents the lives of some of the most influential and interesting figures from throughout history.

Examine their lives, their impact and the difference it makes to accept God or reject Him. Part 1. n Monday, Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Providence Will Provide.” A look into the life of Mother Mary Lange, who

despite cultural hostility established the first religious community of black women in the history of the Catholic Church. n Tuesday, Feb. 6, 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “The Beatification of Benedict Daswa.” Friends and family honor the beatification of Benedict Daswa, a martyr who spoke out against the ritualistic killings running rampant across South Africa. n Wednesday, Feb. 7, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Down from the Mountaintop.” After attending a youth group retreat, a shy teenager and musician named Adam feels inspired to start up a Christian band at his public high school. n Thursday, Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “City of Saints.” How the lives of ordinary people have been enhanced by the ministry of the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey. n Friday, Feb. 9, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Two Suitcases. St. Giuseppina Bakhita.” How Sr. Josephine Bakhita rose above the horrific trials in her life to become a model for the Church, as the first canonized saint from Africa. n Saturday, Feb. 10, 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Saint of Lourdes.” The life of Bernadette Soubirous, peasant girl of Lourdes, France, to whom Our Lady appeared in 1858. The film calls us to find peace of mind and heart, as Bernadette did, even in the midst of chaos.

for the 15th annual

Thursday, March 8, 2018 Benton Convention Center 301 West Fifth Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 At this complimentary event, you will be invited to make a generous gift to help raise our goal of $400,000 to Strengthen Families, Build Communities and Reduce Poverty in the Piedmont Triad Region.

For Reservations: Call 336-714-3227 or Visit: ccdoc.org/partnersinhope

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Contact us at catholicnews@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3333 to sign up today!

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

RATI FROM PAGE 3

White House. After conversations with the Secret Service, Donadio and two of her six children, Benedict and Maria, were all set to appear on stage with President Donald Trump and others Jan. 19.

After passing through security and arranging themselves on stage, they were surprised again when they were actually called to the podium by President Trump, the first president to ever address the national March for Life via live Jumbotron.

Trump spoke of Room at the Inn in detail and shared Donadio’s personal story, an embodiment of the march’s theme, “Love Saves Lives.”

“Marianne was 17 when she found out she was pregnant. At first, she felt like she had no place to turn, but when she told her parents, they responded with total love, total affection, total support,” Trump said.

“Marianne bravely chose life and soon gave birth to her son. She named him Benedict, which means blessing. Marianne was so grateful for her parents’ love and support that she felt called to serve those who were not as fortunate as her.”

Donadio volunteered at the home for many years while raising her family with her husband Don. Albert Hodges, the organization’s president and founder, hired Donadio in 2011.

Since opening the Mary Nussbaum Home in 2001, the organization has served more than 400 women.

Part of what makes Donadio so effective at raising funds for the organization is getting to know the women’s stories.

“I get a lot of joy from seeing the difference our donors make in the lives of our clients. I share our clients’ stories with them, both in thanksgiving for their support and to inspire them to be ambassadors for life,” she said.

“The women we serve are truly remarkable and courageous in choosing life, given their circumstances, and their stories are each unique. Telling them helps people identify with the struggles the women go through and motivate them to do something to help. It creates a connection and helps people see that they are people, just like them, who are going through a hard time.”

Father Noah Carter, parochial vicar at St. Mark Church in Huntersville and Room at the Inn board member, was overjoyed to hear about Donadio being honored on the national stage.

“Marianne’s dedication and hard work at RATI is a wonderful witness to all who meet her of what a pro-life way of living looks like,” Father Carter said.

“More than social work or pregnancy care as an alternative to abortion, Room at the Inn is a beacon of hope. Abortion is the greatest evil that our country presently

YOUTH FROM PAGE 3

not right to kill anyone.”

“It’s incredible to see all of these people gathered here for one cause,” said Hannah Webster, a senior at Charlotte Catholic High School in Charlotte, on her first time coming to the march. “You don’t see this many people who are pro-life all the time.

“It’s important to stand up for the rights of the unborn. You have to respect everyone’s life from the moment they are conceived. They have a soul. We can’t, for our own sake, just get rid of them.”

faces,” he continued. “So many proponents of abortion access like to taunt pro-lifers saying, ‘And who’s gonna take care of the baby? What’s going to happen to this woman’s quality of life?’ Room at the Inn is a shining example of how people who love life can come together and support women who choose life – even when everything and everyone seems to be against them.”

The staff and volunteers at RATI work tirelessly to bring that hope to the women they serve.

And in his speech televised live from the Rose Garden to tens of thousands of people participating in the national March for Life, the president recognized what a “true gift” that hope means.

“It’s the gift of friendship, mentorship, the gift of encouragement, love and support. Those are beautiful words and those are beautiful gifts. And most importantly of all, it’s the gift of life itself,” Trump said. “That is why we march, that is why we pray, and that is why we declare that America’s future will be filled with goodness peace, joy, dignity and life for every child of God. Thank you to the March for Life.”

Room at the Inn’s founder, Albert Hodges, noted afterwards that it was an honor for Room at the Inn to be included in the president’s March for Life speech. “To see not only our work acknowledged in this forum as well as the personal story of our own Marianne Donadio, a pro-life heroine in her own right, makes us proud,” he said.

After the excitement at the march on Friday, Donadio’s natural optimism was even more apparent.

“The tide is turning in favor of life. Some of the reasons for that are the march and Jeanne Mancini’s leadership and ability to connect with the younger generation.

Of course, there’s the political aspect of having a pro-life president. That affects people’s morale, but beyond that it’s been 45 years since Roe v. Wade,” she explained.

“Women who were initially ashamed of talking of their abortion have been encouraged and empowered to tell of their experiences and warn other women that it’s not a good thing for women, and I think that’s starting to sink in as well.

“I do get a sense that this generation just isn’t buying the lie, and the ultrasounds are the most glaringly obvious reason. You can see so clearly at a very early age their tiny fingers and their faces on a 3D ultrasound.”

Even during her 15 minutes of fame (including an interview with EWTN), Donadio served others by driving the RATI group to the event, navigating the metro and even giving first-time pilgrims a tour of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

On the way home to Greensboro, she pulled over to do interviews on a couple occasions, which prompted her blessing – the son who inspired her life’s work – to say (with love), “Hey, Mom, quit being famous and get back to the car! I’m ready to go home.”

“My favorite part (of the march) was getting to the top of the hill, looking back, and seeing thousands of people proudly walking behind me... it seemed like the sea of people would never end!” she said. “I was so proud in the moment to be a part of the March for Life and I know that even if it takes another 45 years, abortion will be unthinkable someday.”

Carson Cannon, a sophomore at Charlotte Catholic High School, said he really wanted to come to the march “because of all of the wonderful opportunities we have to stand up for what we believe and exercise our First Amendment rights to peacefully protest the unjust, and what should be unlawful, murder of so many children who have been

17

DELLA SUE BRYSON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

More than two dozen parishioners from St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Sylva chartered their own bus for the first time to participate in the national March for Life. Eighth-grader Margaret Dodge said of the experience, “I am grateful for the chance to be a part of standing up for the unborn. I enjoyed going with my parish. I hope we do it next year.” Read more about their trip online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.

MARCH FROM PAGE 3

priests of both North Carolina dioceses. He filled in for Bishop Peter Jugis, who was scheduled to preside at the Mass but was unable to attend at the last minute because of family health issues.

“When I was asked to fill in for the bishop, I began to ask myself a simple question: ‘Why do we march? Why do we come here?’”

In his homily, Father Putnam touched on the successes and challenges for the prolife movement over the past year.

He cited the Trump Administration’s appointment of pro-life judges and government offices, the restoration and expansion of the so-called “Mexico City policy” restricting abortion funds to other places, and the defunding of the United Nations Population Fund (some $9 billion which gave resources to provide abortions worldwide). He also applauded the work of David Deleiden and the Center for Medical Progress, which exposed Planned Parenthood’s selling of unborn infant body parts and showed the horrors of the commercial abortion industry. He also mentioned a movie being developed by Dr. Alveda King that will showcase what happened leading up to the Roe v. Wade decision.

“But as we all know, the darkness still remains,” Father Putnam continued.

“This past year also saw state laws being implemented to protect abortion and fostering a culture of death. There are continued efforts to undermine marriage, objectified so terribly.”

Rebekah Martinez, 14, of St. Mark Church in Huntersville, sings pro-life music with the D3 Foundation and came to the March for Life to help share their music.

“It’s important to me, singing music to promote life. It is so much better to gently tell them, to tell them by singing. It’s such a worthy cause.”

“Supporting life is an amazing thing,” Martinez said. “The music goes to so many people. It can change the person right next to you. They could have an interesting story you don’t know about. You can have an impact on them.”

Zoe Griffin, 17, of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, shared her reason for attending.

family and our basic understanding of the human person. What seems to be happening, for most of us who are aware, is a growing hostility to the Gospel.”

He cited examples of many marches this past year that were not peaceful, but violent.

“It’s a sad reality, but in the midst of the darkness we can always see some light,” Father Putnam said.

“So why do we march? We march because we can. We march because we must. We march because the love of Christ impels us to do so, to stand up for the truth – the good and the beautiful, to defend the defenseless, to give voice to the voiceless, and to share that love which has been shown to us in Christ Jesus Our Lord.”

The battle to end abortion will not be won on a political front alone, he emphasized.

We are contending against principalities and powers, he said, which Jesus fought throughout His earthly ministry.

“We march so we that we can pray, so that we can give witness to the joy of the Gospel, so that we can share the freedom which belongs to the children of God. “We march so we can exercise our rights as citizens, so we can make our voices heard in the offices of governmental power.”

Father Putnam also reminded those gathered that they march to grow in holiness – to show forth the presence of Christ in each person and to demonstrate the fact that Christ loves each person and willingly gave His life for each person.

He encouraged the faithful to “use the greatest weapon we have – the weapon of love – to change hearts and to bring conversion.”

Singers Rebekah and Kaitlyn Martinez from St. Mark Parish pose at the March for Life Expo Jan. 18.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

“It’s important to come to the March for Life because this is a really big platform,” she said. “It’s good to have our voices heard and to have such a huge amount of young people have their voices heard by the world. I am happy to be a part of it.”

Our nation 18

catholicnewsherald.com | February 2, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishops consider plans to revitalize appeal of a Catholic education DENNIS SADOWSKI CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Catholic bishops are looking to “transform” Catholic schools in response to decades of declining enrollment that has forced hundreds of schools to close since 2005.

The effort, said the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education, encompasses a wide-ranging look at issues facing Catholic schools and a renewed effort to help parents better understand that the spiritual development of a child goes hand in hand with academic achievement.

“The concern of the bishops is that Catholic schools are valuable, Catholic schools transform lives,” said Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio. “It’s not only talking about academics. It’s not only a matter of discipline, but it’s a matter of preparing the whole person for college and for heaven.”

In an interview following a Jan. 17-18 meeting at USCCB headquarters that included 30 bishops, educators and representatives of Catholic education organizations, Bishop Murry said the goal is to ensure that Catholic schools will remain a vibrant and important part of family and Church life.

Sponsored by the University of Notre Dame, the meeting was the sixth in a series since 2009 looking at the future of Catholic education.

Forming the backdrop are sobering statistics on school closings and declining enrollment.

Figures from the National Catholic Educational Association show 1,393 Catholic school closings or consolidations from 2007 to 2017 compared with 287 school openings. During the same period, enrollment declined by 19 percent to less than 1.9 million students. Enrollment peaked in 1965 at more than 5.2 million students.

Also underlying the bishops’ concerns are shifting demographics, tuition costs and changes in the practice of the faith, all of which influence whether parents decide to enroll their children in Catholic schools.

Bishop Murry said the simple message that Catholic schools transform lives must become the Church’s basic refrain. “Many parents don’t see particular value in the religious formation that occurs in a Catholic school,” he said. “So how can we challenge some of those ideas so people come to a better understanding of why it is important to develop the entire person?”

Pastors, he explained, are diligently working to bring parents into parish schools to see firsthand the advantages a Catholic education has in developing the “whole person.”

“Pastors with parishes with schools, pastors with parishes without schools, parish school of religion directors have been working together to say it is a genuine value for the future to train the whole person, not just the mind or the body – the mind academically, the body in sports – but also to develop the spiritual life,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we live in a very secular society... and fewer and fewer people see the value of that spiritual development.”

As for rising tuition, Bishop Murry suggested two approaches. The first involves helping parents realize that 27 states and the District of Columbia have legislation providing financial assistance to parents who choose private or faith-based schools.

The second requires school leaders and clergy “to be courageous and undaunted in going to donors, people whose lives have been positively affected by Catholic schools and have been blessed with economic security ... and ask them to give back to Catholic schools,” he said.

CNS | ERIC THAYER, REUTERS

President Donald Trump is projected on a large video screen as he addresses attendees of the annual March for Life rally in Washington Jan. 19. The address took place from the Rose Garden at the White House.

Every child ‘precious gift from God,’ Trump tells pro-life rally JULIE ASHER CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In remarks broadcast to the March for Life from the White House Rose Garden, President Donald Trump said that his administration “will always defend the very first right in the Declaration of Independence, and that is the right to life.”

He invoked the theme of this year’s march, “Love Saves Lives,” and praised the crowd as being very special and “such great citizens gathered in our nation’s capital from many places for one beautiful cause” – celebrating and cherishing life.

“Every unborn child is a precious gift from God,” he said. His remarks were interrupted several times by applause from the crowd gathered on the National Mall. He praised the pro-lifers for having “such big hearts and tireless devotion to make sure parents have the support they need to choose life.”

“You’re living witnesses of this year’s March for Life theme, ‘Love Saves Lives,’” he said. His remarks were broadcast to the crowd live via satellite to a Jumbotron above the speakers’ stage, a first for any U.S. president, according to March for Life.

During their tenure in office, President Ronald Reagan, President George H.W. Bush and President George W. Bush all addressed the march via telephone or a radio hookup from the Oval Office, with their remarks broadcast to the crowd.

Trump spoke with a crowd surrounding him in the Rose Garden, including 20 students from the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. One of those standing next to the

president was a Marianne Donadio, a top official with Room at the Inn, a nationally accredited Catholic ministry based in North Carolina that serves homeless, pregnant women and single mothers with children. (Editor’s note: See related story on page 3.)

Vice President Mike Pence, who addressed last year’s March for Life in person at Trump’s request, introduced the president as the “most pro-life president in American history,” for among other things issuing an executive memorandum shortly after his inauguration to reinstate the “Mexico City Policy.” The policy bans all foreign nongovernmental organizations receiving U.S. funds from performing or promoting abortion as a method of family planning in other countries.

Trump also has nominated pro-life judges to fill several court vacancies and a day before the March for Life the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced formation of a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division in the HHS Office for Civil Rights. Its aim is to protect the conscience rights of doctors and other health care workers who do not want to perform procedures they consider morally objectionable.

For the first time in a recent memory, the weather in Washington was more than tolerable for March for Life participants as they gathered on the National Mall to mark the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

The sun was shining and the blue sky was cloudless. By the time the speeches ended and the march to the Supreme Court started, the temperature had reached 50 degrees. March officials

estimated that more 100,000 were in attendance.

Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, opened the rally by calling on everyone in the crowd to text the word “March” to 7305 and to show their commitment to ending abortion and join their voices in calling on Congress to defund Planned Parenthood.

“Do you agree that’s important?” she asked the crowd. “Yes!” they shouted.

March for Life, she said, is about educating people about abortion and mobilizing to end it and to love all those women and families who are facing a troubled pregnancy and other needs. “’Love Saves Lives’ is this year’s theme,” she added. “Love and sacrifice go hand in hand It is not easy. No one ever said it was, but it is the right choice ... the self-sacrificial option.”

In an interview with Catholic News Service before the march began, Mancini said that as a pro-life Catholic she believes “100 percent” in Church teaching that the sanctity of all life, from conception to natural death, must be protected.

But she said the annual March for Life has a singular purpose – to mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe decision legalizing abortion through nine months of pregnancy nationwide. She believes abortion is “the single most significant social justice cause of our time.”

As a small nonprofit with a staff of six, the March for Life organization has to “stay focused” on its mission, she said, which is to educate people about abortion and activate them to stop abortion. Mancini also said she was “grateful to the leader of the free world” for deciding to address the rally from the Rose Garden.

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

abortions after 20 weeks of gestation, and called on senators to “rethink” their stance on late-term abortions. The cardinal, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called the vote “appalling” in a statement Jan. 29. Although the bill received 51 votes, under Senate rules it needed 60 votes to end debate and move to a final vote. Three Democrats joined 48 Republicans in supporting the measure. The final vote was 51-46.

Bishop: Trump immigration plan’s impact on family ‘deeply troubling’ Bishops name 3 young adults as WASHINGTON, D.C. — The chairman of the delegates to pre-synod meeting U.S. bishops’ migration committee said Jan. 30 that the Catholic bishops welcomed the Trump administration’s proposal to give “Dreamers” a path to citizenship, but at the same time, they are “deeply troubled” about the plan’s “impact on family unity.” On Jan. 26, the White House released a proposal offering a path to citizenship for approximately 1.8 million of the so-called Dreamers and asking for a $25 billion investment in a border wall and other security measures.

The plan also calls for an end to the diversity visa program, popularly known as the “visa lottery,” and also a program that grants visa preferences to relatives of U.S. citizens or residents. The administration said its focus for immigration policy is to keep the “nuclear family” intact. “We welcome the administration’s proposal to include a path to citizenship for Dreamers. However, the proposed cuts to family immigration and elimination of protections to unaccompanied children are deeply troubling,” said Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration.

Pro-life leaders decry Senate failure to pass abortion ban WASHINGTON, D.C. — Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York decried the Senate’s failure to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would have banned

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A religious brother, a campus ministry director and a youth minister who is a wife and new mother have been named to represent the U.S. as young adult delegates at a pre-synod gathering in Rome in March. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Jan. 25 that the delegates are: De La Salle Christian Brother Javier Hansen, a religion teacher at Cathedral High School in El Paso, Texas; Nick Lopez, director of campus ministry for the University of Dallas; and Katie PrejeanMcGrady, a wife, new mother, youth minister, and a popular speaker from the Diocese of Lake Charles, La. Last October, Pope Francis invited Christian and non-Christian young people from around the world to a March 19-25 meeting in preparation for this October’s Synod of Bishops, which will have as its theme: “Young people, faith and vocational discernment.”

Civic Center, is followed by the walk from City Hall to the wharf behind a street-wide banner that proclaims, “Abortion Hurts Women.”

Brownback OK’d as ambassadorat-large for religious freedom WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate has confirmed Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, a Catholic, to be the new U.S. ambassador-atlarge for international religious freedom in the U.S. Department of State. Nominated to the post in July by President Donald Trump, Brownback was confirmed Jan. 24. On Jan. 25, Brownback announced he would resign the office of governor Jan. 31.

— Catholic News Service

West Coast pro-life walk draws thousands to San Francisco streets SAN FRANCISCO — Smiling and singing “Amazing Grace” and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” hundreds of high school and college students led tens of thousands of pro-life supporters along San Francisco’s Market Street in the 14th Annual Walk for Life West Coast. The event, which begins each year with a rally in the

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Our world 20

catholicnewsherald.com | February 2, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Visiting Ukrainians, pope praises women of faith, prays for peace CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

CNS | REMO CASILLI, REUTERS

Pope Francis embraces Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, during a meeting with the Ukrainian Catholic community at the Basilica of Santa Sophia in Rome Jan. 28.

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communities in Italy; they are served by 65 priests, the archbishop said.

The archbishop also said he hoped Pope Francis’ visit to the basilica would be just the first step toward a papal visit to Ukraine.

Pope Francis urged the community members to remember all those who suffered in Ukraine to preserve the faith and to hand it on, including mothers and grandmothers who baptized their children or grandchildren at great risk when Ukraine was under Soviet domination.

That same commitment to faith and desire to share it, he said, is seen today in the Ukrainian women who work for Italian families and become witnesses of faith to them.

“Behind each of you there is a mother, a grandmother who transmitted the faith,” the pope said. “Ukrainian women are heroic, thank the Lord.”

The war in eastern Ukraine, which has been continuing for four years, also was on the minds and hearts of the pope and the Ukrainian faithful. Archbishop Shevchuk said that while “Russian aggression” continues, the international community has forgotten about the fighting.

Pope Francis told the Ukrainian community, “I know that while you are here, your hearts beat for your country and they beat not only with affection, but also with anguish, especially because of the scourge of war and the economic difficulties.

“I am here to tell you that I am close to you, close with my heart, close with my prayers, close when I celebrate the Eucharist,” the pope told them. “I beg the Prince of Peace to silence the weapons.”

Before leaving the basilica, Archbishop Shevchuk took Pope Francis down to the crypt to pray at the tomb of Bishop Stefan Chmil.

Earlier, Pope Francis told the people in the basilica that when he was 12 years old and then-Father Chmil, a Salesian, was ministering in Buenos Aires, he would serve Divine Liturgy for the priest.

Being an altar server three times a week, he said, he learned from Father Chmil “the beauty of your liturgy,” but also about what was happening in Ukraine under communism and “how the faith was tried and forged in the midst of the terrible atheistic persecutions of the last century.”

ROME — Pope Francis’ visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Basilica of Santa Sophia in Rome combined elements of his parish visits with elements of his visits to centers for migrants and refugees.

While the basilica is a fully functioning parish, most of its members are migrant women working in Rome and sending money home to their families in Ukraine.

In his speech to the community gathered at Santa Sophia Jan. 28, Pope Francis offered his own reflection on “The Vibrant Parish: a Place to Encounter the Living Christ,” which is the theme of a multiyear renewal effort in Ukrainian Catholic parishes around the world.

“A vibrant parish is a place to encounter the living Christ,” he said. “I hope that you always will come here for the bread for your daily journey, the consolation of your hearts, the healing of your wounds.”

A vibrant parish, he said, also is the place to pass on the faith to the younger generations.

“Young people need to perceive this: that the Church is not a museum, that the Church is not a tomb,” the pope added.

They need to see that “the Church is alive, that the Church gives life and that God is Jesus Christ, the living Christ, in the midst of the Church.”

But Pope Francis also spoke about the loneliness of being a migrant, the hard work and low pay many Ukrainian women receive in caring for children or the elderly in Italy and, particularly, the worry and concern over the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine.

The pope also used the visit as a way to underline the importance of remembering the past and honoring those who dedicated their lives to preserving and sharing the faith, including under the harshest conditions, when the Ukrainian Catholic Church was outlawed by the Soviet Union and its bishops and many of its priests were imprisoned.

The first person he honored was the late Cardinal Josyf Slipyj, exiled to Rome after 18 years in Soviet jails and gulags. The cardinal built the basilica as a cathedral for the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which was banned in its homeland.

Pope Francis said the cardinal wanted it “to shine like a prophetic sign of freedom in the years when access to many houses of worship was forbidden.

But with the sufferings he endured and offered to the Lord, he contributed to building another temple, even grander and more beautiful, the edifice of living stones which is you,” the pope told the faithful.

Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of Kiev-Halych and head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, welcomed Pope Francis to the basilica. He said that while officially there are about 200,000 Ukrainians living in Italy, the number is probably double that.

CNS | REMO CASILLI, REUTERS About 17,000 people attend the Pope Francis and Archbishop Shevchuk release doves at the end of Divine Liturgy each week in the pope’s meeting with the Ukrainian Catholic community at the one of 145 Ukrainian Catholic Basilica of Santa Sophia in Rome Jan. 28.

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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In Brief Irish government to hold vote on right to life of mother, child DUBLIN — The Irish government announced it will hold a referendum in late May asking citizens whether they want to retain or delete the constitutional article that provides for the equal right to life of the mother and her unborn child “with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother.” If passed, the vote would allow parliament to legislate for abortion. Health Minister Simon Harris has said in this case he would bring forward a proposal to permit abortion on request up to eight weeks’ gestation. But Ireland’s leading pro-life advocacy group has warned that any dilution to the country’s constitutional protection for the unborn will inevitably lead to abortion on demand. Commenting after the government’s Jan. 29 announcement, Ruth Cullen, Pro Life Campaign spokeswoman, said, “It is a very sad and serious moment for our country. “The government brought forward a proposal that for the first time in our history would withdraw basic human rights from a group of vulnerable, defenseless individuals instead of strengthening their constitutional protections,” she said.

Pope asks Vatican abuse expert to review new information on Chilean bishop VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis asked a longtime expert in handling abuse allegations to gather new information in Chile concerning Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno. The pope was sending Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna of Malta to review the matter after the pope received “some information recently with regards to the case” of Bishop Barros, the Vatican said in a communique Jan. 30. Pope Francis decided to send the archbishop to the Chilean capital “to listen to those who expressed a willingness to submit information in their possession,” the communique said. Archbishop Scicluna is president of a board of review within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; the board handles appeals filed by clergy accused of abuse or other serious crimes. The archbishop also had 10 years’ experience as the Vatican’s chief prosecutor of clerical sex abuse cases at the doctrinal congregation. Some have accused Bishop Barros of having been aware of abuse perpetrated by his former mentor, Father Fernando Karadima. The priest was sentenced to a life of prayer and penance by the Vatican after he was found guilty of sexually abusing boys.

Vatican spokesman insists pope, aides united on approach to China VATICAN CITY — Catholics who have accused top members of the Roman Curia of making overtures to China’s communist government without the knowledge of Pope Francis are “fostering confusion and controversy,” said Greg Burke the director of the Vatican press office.

The rumors of division between the pope and his top aides made headlines in late January after Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, retired archbishop of Hong Kong, met personally with Pope Francis to discuss his opposition to encouraging two bishops to retire so they could be replaced by two bishops approved by the government, but whose status with the Vatican has been troubled. “In spite of the danger of being accused of breach of confidentiality,” Cardinal Zen wrote on a Facebook post Jan. 29, he had decided “to tell you what His Holiness said: ‘Yes, I told them (his collaborators in the Holy See)

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not to create another Mindszenty case!’” The late Hungarian Cardinal Josef Mindszenty was arrested by communist authorities in 1948 and sentenced to life in prison. He was freed during the 1956 uprising, but when the uprising failed, he took refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Budapest.

Although he could not exercise his ministry, the cardinal’s presence in the country was a nuisance to the communist government.

Pope: Fight indifference, actively respond to hatred, violence

Anxiety / Depression Acid Reflux / Sleep Hormones / Fatigue Cholesterol / Acne

VATICAN CITY — Individuals and governments must fight indifference and be actively prepared to respond to discrimination, hatred and violence, particularly anti-Semitism, Pope Francis said. “May we help one another in turn to grow a culture of responsibility, of memory and of closeness, and to establish an alliance against indifference, against every form of indifference,” he told leaders and experts attending a global gathering on anti-Semitism.

The pope met at the Vatican Jan. 29 with people attending the Rome International Conference on Anti-Semitism, which was organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, in conjunction with the Union of Italian Jewish Communities. The one-day conference looked at the responsibility of government employees, lawmakers, religions and educators in addressing anti-Semitism and crimes connected to anti-Semitic hatred. The pope told his audience, “We are responsible when we are able to respond. It is not merely a question of analyzing the causes of violence and refuting their perverse reasoning, but of being actively prepared to respond to them.”

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Pope: Young people need wellformed consciences for marriage VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church must dedicate itself to properly forming and safeguarding the conscience of its faithful, especially young people so they can see God’s plan for the sacrament of marriage as a great joy for the church and all of humanity, Pope Francis said. The recent synods on marriage and the family, as well as the apostolic exhortation on the family, “Amoris Laetitia,” were focused on “how to save young people from the uproar and deafening noise of the ephemeral, which leads them to reject taking on stable and positive commitments for the individual and collective good,” the pope said. In a speech Jan. 29 to members of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, which mainly deals with appeals filed in marriage annulment cases, the pope examined the central role conscience plays in the process of discerning the nullity or validity of the bond of marriage.

World Meeting of Families catechesis to be available online VATICAN CITY — To help parishes, groups, individuals and families better prepare for the World Meeting of Families, Vatican organizers are releasing a multimedia series of catechetical materials in five languages online. The Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life announced that starting Feb. 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, it would launch a digital series of seven catecheses that include musical interludes starring famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

There would also be monthly video shorts meant for groups and parishes. All the materials will be available for free on the dicastery’s site www.laityfamilylife.va and its YouTube channel, PcFamiglia. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the dicastery, told reporters Jan. 25 that the series was meant to provide simple and inspiring ways to reflect, pray and prepare over the next seven months until the start of the world meeting in Dublin Aug. 21-26. The theme of the gathering is “The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World.”

— Catholic News Service

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 2, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Father John Michalowski

What does it mean to be pro-life as a Catholic?

T

oo often our understanding of what it is to be pro-life is seen from a domestic, political point of view. If we really understand what it is to be pro-life from the point of view of the past 50 years of papal teaching – the teaching of Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis – it is to stand with Jesus Christ and His Incarnation.

Each Christmas we celebrate the fact that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Son of God entered into humanity, not just to save us from sin, but to share in human life and to lead us to eternal life.

To be pro-life is to share by grace in the power of Christ’s resurrection. “He will change our lowly body to conform with His glorified body by the power that enables Him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.” (Phil 3:21). It is to share in God’s desire for the world – to save all.

As St. Paul says, “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation… So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us.” ( I Cor 5:17-18, 20).

In becoming human, Jesus embraced all of human life that He might reconcile all of life and all peoples to the Father. Thus Jesus embraced all of life from embryo to death and all peoples – Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free, poor and rich, uneducated and educated, child and adult, sick and healthy, rural and urban, pariah and upper society, sinner and saint.

His goal is that all are one in Christ Jesus.

By grace we can “put on Christ,” put on His eyes and voice and heart. As St. Teresa of Avila said, “Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion is to look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which Christ is to bless all people now.”

What concretely does this mean in the year 2018?

WHO COUNT AS PERSONS?

“Who Count As Persons?” is the title of a book by the Jesuit ethicist Father John Kavanaugh. In it, he defines what it is to be a person and shows what the ethical consequences of that understanding are.

Arguing from a philosophical viewpoint, he shows the limitations and fallacies of those who argue from a materialist or a dualistic or a utilitarian or a Marxist or a consumerist or a linguistic or a mechanistic or a “performist” philosophy or point of view. That list of inadequate and dangerous positions is matched by 50 pages of backnotes in a 233-page book.

Why are these positions inadequate or dangerous? They hold that certain people

don’t count and can be eliminated. They range from Mao’s willingness to lose 200 million Chinese in a nuclear war, to a Princeton ethicist’s claim that a threeyear old Labrador retriever has more right to live than your newborn baby.

They range from Margaret Sanger and her Ivy League professor friends’ eugenics movement to rid the U.S. of defectives such as poor African-Americans, Central and Southern European immigrants and Down Syndrome children, to the demonization of one’s enemies whether they be German or Japanese, North Korean, ISIS, Jews, Rohinga, drug addicts, immigrants or Americans.

These philosophical and ethical positions are more than matched by political, racial, class, economic, national, religious or security reasons for killing or disregarding other human beings. Millions are aborted because they are the wrong gender, particularly in China and India, or in the U.S. because the mother is poor and unmarried, or is pressured by the baby’s father or her parents not to “ruin her life.” Millions die due to malaria, HIV, diarrheal diseases such as cholera, or starvation because they were born in poor countries (which don’t count in terms of the geopolitics of rich nations). More than 65 million people, driven out of their countries by war, oppression or poverty, live in refugee camps.

Who count as persons? We all do. This is why a pro-life position must be a seamless garment, like the garment that Mary wove for her Son.

CHRIST’S SEAMLESS GARMENT IS PRO-PERSON, PRO-LIFE Christ shows us that every person counts. For 51 years every pope from Paul VI to Pope Francis have called on Catholics and all people of goodwill to recognize that we all share in Christ’s mission to reconcile all persons and all things. As Pope Paul VI said in 1967 in “On the Development of Peoples,” we are called to foster the integral development of each person and all persons. The economic, familial, political, religious and social rights of each person – indeed, of all people – must be both recognized and fostered. No person, family, community or nation can be left out. At a time when colonial empires were dissolving in Pope Paul VI’s time, colonial powers have a special responsibility to their former colonies, he noted.

St. John Paul II from his first encyclical, “The Redeemer of Humankind” through “The Gospel of Life” (“Evangelium vitae”) and into his writings on the Eucharist and the Jubilee Year 2000, stressed “a correct scale of values: the primacy of being over having, of the person over things.” (“Evangelium vitae,” 98). “In helping the hungry, the thirsty, the foreigner, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned – as well as

the child in the womb and the old person who is suffering or near death – we have the opportunity to serve Jesus. … Where life is involved, the service of charity must be profoundly consistent. It cannot tolerate bias or discrimination … We need then to ‘show care’ for all life and for the life of everyone.” (“Evangelium vitae,” 87).

Pope Benedict XVI has written that: “One of the most striking aspects of development in the present day is the important question of respect for life, which cannot in any way be detached from questions concerning the development of peoples.” (Charity in Truth, 28). Thus he speaks of food and water insecurity, the downsizing of social security systems, the growing inequality in wealth, corruption, abortion, the denial of religious freedom, unemployment, the importance of distributive and social justice in a market economy, etc.

What the popes of the past 50 years have written about and supported, Pope Francis has taken to heart. He calls on all Catholics, all Christians, all Jews and Muslims and people of goodwill to create a world that God would recognize as His own.

How well do we recognize the value of each person?

TWO STANDARDS: WILL WE FOLLOW CHRIST’S?

In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius asks the retreatant to compare the value system of Satan and the value system of Christ. The retreatant is to ask for the grace to see how each system exists in the world and in his or her life, and then to ask for the grace to embrace the standard of Christ.

The Jesuit ethicist Father John Kavanaugh points out the dominance of the standard of Satan in the events of the past 100 years: “The history of the 20th century can be read as a catalogue of expendable people. Armenians, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Aboriginal peoples, Africans, Afrikaaners, Jews, Lebanese, Palestinians, American Blacks, White Russians, Serbians, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Tibetans, Nicaraguans, Argentines, Mestizos, East Timorese, Algerians, Cubans, Bosnians, Rwandans, and Chinese have all seen themselves placed upon the victim’s altar: a slaughtering-block of history.”

“The destruction of personal existence is closest to each of us in advanced industrial technologies in the area of medical ethics, however. The killing of marginal, damaged, or unfinished human beings has been offered to us as the most highly rationalized, socially acceptable, and culturally strategic form of extinguishing personhood. In controversies concerning the beginning and the ending of human life, the phenomena of depersonalization and human devaluation mark public discourse and national policy.” (“Who Count As Persons?” (Washington, D.C.:

Georgetown University Press, 2001), pp. 114, 125).

How different is the standard of Christ who said: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you should love one another.” (John 13:34). He then laid down His life for us on the cross. “He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised. …And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation… So we are ambassadors for Christ… (2 Cor 5:14, 18, 20).

The standard of Christ is love, service and compassion.

As Pope Francis said Jan. 1 in his message on the World Day of Peace: “In a spirit of compassion, let us embrace all those fleeing from war and hunger, or forced by discrimination, persecution, poverty and environmental degradation to leave their homelands.” (1) “The wisdom of faith fosters a contemplative gaze that recognizes that all of us ‘belong to one family, migrants and the local population that welcome them, and all have the same right to enjoy the goods of the earth, whose destination is universal, as the social doctrine of the Church teaches. It is here that solidarity and sharing are founded.”(3) “Offering asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and victims of human trafficking an opportunity to find the peace they seek requires a strategy combing four actions: welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating.” (4) Pope Francis has said that the Church – you and I and all Christians – are called to be a love story, disciples sent by Christ to share the Father’s love. “Every one of us is a link in this chain of love. And if we do not understand this, we understand nothing about what the Church is.” (“Encountering Truth,” p. 35). “Before all else, the Gospel invites us to respond to the God of love who saves us, to see God in others and to go forth from ourselves to seek the good of others.” (“The Joy of the Gospel,” 39).

“But to whom should she go first? When we read the Gospel we find a clear indication: not so much to our friends and wealthy neighbors, but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised and overlooked, “those who cannot repay you.” (“The Joy of the Gospel,” 48). The homeless, the unemployed, the sick, the unborn, the elderly, the refugee, the prisoner, the traumatized, the addict, the migrant, the minority – the list goes on, but God’s love is greater.

May we pray that the Spirit will open our hearts wider, as Jesus’ arms were opened wide in love on the cross.

JESUIT FATHER JOHN MICHALOWSKI is parochial vicar of St. Peter Church in Charlotte.

February 2, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Most-read stories on the web

Fred Gallagher

Bucket lists and Ordinary Time

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he holiday (or holy day) seasons are winding down now and we are reaching what the Church calls “Tempus Per Annum,” or time throughout the year. We know it as Ordinary Time and our present iteration of it goes from after Christmas to just before Lent. It is good, however, not to make the mistake of equating Ordinary Time with the mundane, the eventless or the boring.

The ecclesiastical rendering of Ordinary Time refers to the word “order,” wherein the things of our life achieve a proper relationship to each other and then, of course, to God. There is also another connotation of the word “ordinary” and that is in reference to one who is called to an office, one “ordained” to fulfill a role.

The one called forth in ancient texts is often referred to as “an ordinary.”

So, recently we read about Samuel waking up a few times in the middle of the night having heard a voice, and going to Eli to ask if he called. I imagine Eli deep in sleep rolling over and blurting out his instructions time and again for Samuel to go back to bed! Finally they get the picture: it was God’s voice and He was calling forth Samuel. And the first gospels of Ordinary Time are about Andrew and Simon Peter, James and John making the decision to follow Jesus. They begin to recognize they are being “called forth.”

So Ordinary Time, following the rush of Christmas and New Year’s, is really a time to listen. Who is saying what to us?

What are we called to do in this moment of our lives?

Do we have the physical and spiritual stuff of our lives “ordered” properly so that primary things are first and secondary things are second?

How is my work calling me? What is required of my station in life: as a husband, a father, a brother, uncle, friend, citizen? How am I being called forth in this Ordinary Time?

Invariably in this time of year, for some reason, I think of bucket lists. Maybe it’s the “calling forth” aspect of Ordinary Time, or maybe just because it’s early in the year. I’ve always wanted to: take my family to Rome, run with the bulls, publish a novel, speak another language fluently, play the piano, walk the Way of St. James, see a game (preferably against the dastardly Yankees!) at Fenway Park… you know, the usual things! But I know I have to be careful with bucket lists. They can easily make failures of us all.

I connect bucket lists with Ordinary Time because we all have done some pretty extraordinary things as part of our daily lives, but maybe we just didn’t know it at the time.

Ordinary Time may well end up being anything but ordinary in the usual sense of the word. It is a time to look closely for the “sacrament of the moment” and then have the presence of mind to put that blessed moment in our bucket.

Someone once said, “Happiness is not having what you want but wanting what you have.” So for each of the experiences that seem more bucket list worthy, there comes to mind a host of “Ordinary Time” experiences that may have called me forth

in some special way.

For instance, I’ve hiked to the tops of Rocky Mountain ridges and walked the white hills of a Greek isle – but there’s something to be said for strolling down the cathedral aisle with one of your children about to receive their First Communion, losing a footrace by just a hair to an excited kid, walking the dog on a starry night, or trekking around the block with a friend to talk out his problems. I’ve stood at the foot of the David and looked up from the floor of the Sistine Chapel. But years ago we put on the refrigerator my little boy’s crayon depiction of a plane crashing into a tall tower, a rendering right from his heart that combined great innocence and great terror.

I’ve snorkeled on magnificent tropical reefs, but closer to home and in Ordinary Time I breathlessly watched each of my children being born. I once climbed a famous castle to kiss the Blarney Stone (maybe you can tell!) but I’ve also kissed more than one friend and more than one family member on their deathbed…ever so gently.

Bucket lists bring up some of the unlikely places I’ve slept, good and bad, such as monasteries, national parks, European pensiones, even a jail cell or a drunk tank, and a hundred other places – some intriguing, some not fit to mention. But in the wonderful Ordinary Time of my life I’ve also snoozed gratefully on a friend’s couch, snuggled in bed with my kids singing “Galway Bay” softly ‘til we all drifted off, and slumbered extraordinarily safe and sound next to the woman who is mine for eternity.

The sacred moments of Ordinary Time are falling into buckets all the time all around me, but at the time I don’t seem to know it. Bucket lists depend on the outside world for the experience of fulfillment. But if, as the first readings of Ordinary Time profess, the kingdom of God is at hand, then most anything I choose can be of bucket list quality – even my transgressions, because of what I learned from them or what I’m learning from them right now. I can make most anything profane and most anything sacred, depending on how much I trust God to act in my life. If I try to keep on getting to know more intimately the One who made the bucket, then the list doesn’t seem to matter all that much.

At my life’s end, I hope to measure its value not by how intriguing or exciting or dangerous or titillating my list was, but how big my bucket became, how much “ordinary” human interaction gave glory to God, how widespread my desire to do His will was wherever, whenever or however.

Perhaps a prayer in the morning, a sigh upward at dusk, a thought at night bursting at the seams with gratitude; and maybe a tear, ordinary as it might seem, for the plight of anyone struggling with a call, trying their best to respond.

Yes, maybe those things should be the next to fall right here, squarely into my bucket in the coming weeks of Ordinary Time.

FRED GALLAGHER is an author and editor-in-chief with Gastonia-based Good Will Publishers Inc.

‘Memory is the key to accessing the future, and it is our responsibility to hand it on in a dignified way to young generations.’

Pope Francis

From online story: “Fight indifference, actively respond to hatred, violence, pope says” Through press time on Jan. 31, 13,514 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of29,268 pages. The top 10 headlines in January were: n Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin passes away..............................................................................5,110 n Videos from Bishop Curlin’s funeral.....................................................................................................823 n ‘Always looking for Christ in others’................................................................................................... 862 n President honors Greensboro Catholic charity................................................................................859 n View the current print edition of the Catholic News Herald........................................................ 682 n ‘He was always pointing to something greater’...............................................................................572 n Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2018 theme announced..........................................................511 n The ‘12 Days of Christmas’: An ‘underground’ catechism for persecuted Catholics.............382 n ‘We march because the love of Christ impels us to do so’........................................................... 268 n Bishop Curlin reflects on his friend, St. Teresa of Calcutta...........................................................218

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E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org Mail: Letters to the Editor

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Protecting God’s Children We proclaim Christ to the world around us by our efforts to provide a safe environment for all people, especially the young and the vulnerable.

In 2002, the bishops of the United States issued the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter addresses the Church’s commitment to respond effectively, appropriately and compassionately to cases of abuse of minors by priests, deacons or other church personnel.

DIOCESAN REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING MINISTRY-RELATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR 1. Any individual having actual knowledge of or reasonable cause to suspect an incident of ministry-related sexual abuse is to immediately report the incident to the Chancery.

2. The Chancery will then report the incident to the proper civil authorities. The individual reporting the incident to the Chancery will be notified of the particulars regarding the Chancery’s filing of the incident with civil authorities.

3. This reporting requirement is not intended to supersede the right of an individual to make a report to civil authorities, but is to ensure proper, complete and timely reporting.

Should an individual choose to make a report to civil authorities, a report is still to be made to the Chancery.

The charter can be found on the diocesan website, Charlottediocese.org, click on the tab, “Safe Environment.”

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